Melbourne: Men who have more than seven sexual partners in their lifetime are twice as likely to have prostate cancer than those with fewer than three partners, scientists including one of Indian origin have found.
A study of 10,000 men that examined a wide range of potential determinants of prostate cancer has identified a strong link between prostate cancer and sexual activity. The study found also found that men who had their first sexual experience before they were 17 and those who had more than five orgasms in the month prior to diagnosis also had
higher odds of developing the disease, along with those who reached puberty earlier than their peers.
Visalini Nair-Shalliker research fellow at Cancer Council New South Wales said that sexual activity and metabolism were associated with a male sex hormone that is also strongly linked to the initiation of prostate cancer. "The more partners you had, the more orgasms you had, the younger you were when you first had sex, all pointed to an
increased prostate cancer risk," Nair-Shalliker told the 'Sydney Morning Herald'.
The findings on sexual activity are consistent with three other studies that found the risk of prostate cancer increased with sexual activity, but contrary to a 2014 Canadian study
that found men who had more than 20 sexual partners in their lifetime had a 22 per cent lower risk of prostate cancer. The study was published in the International Journal of Cancer.
