A new study suggests that men who had more than seven sexual partners in their lifetime are twice as likely to have prostate cancer than those with fewer than three partners. Men who are sexually active earlier may also be at risk.
There Is A Strong Link Between Sexual Activity And Prostate Cancer
Researchers study 10,000 men and examined a wide range of potential determinants of prostate cancer, and have identified a strong link between prostate cancer and sexual activity. They also say that those 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.
"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," Visalini Nair-Shalliker, one of the researchers, said.
More Research Is Needed To Prove Role Of Sexual Activity
Dr Nair-Shalliker said that the "role of sexual activity is just not straightforward, due to its multifaceted nature" and that it needs further exploration.
"More research into the exact mechanisms is needed, but what we do know is that a number of risk factors we looked at - for example, obesity and sexual activity - are associated with hormonal activity. Hormonal changes have been linked to prostate cancer initiation, so that's the common potential underlying cause that we can see at this stage," he said.
Obesity Is Also Associated With Prostate Cancer
Other risk factors of prostate cancer include genes, a previous diagnosis of prostatitis or benign prostatic hyperplasia, and being overweight or obese. "The impact of obesity on the risk of developing prostate cancer is a concern, with 70 percent of Australian men being overweight or obese," Dr Nair-Shalliker concluded.
