Sex may have additional advantages, including a nearly 20% reduction in the risk of developing all types of cancer, according to recent research from the University of Sydney that was published today.
According to new research, having sex every day, even for just four minutes, could significantly lower the risk of developing cancer.
Researchers looked at the relationship between the prevalence of cancer and activities like sex that require quick bursts of energy and make you puff and puff.
The researcher found that participants who engaged in such activities on a daily basis were noticeably healthier than those who did not.
Housework and other short bursts of exerting activity, such as playing energetic games with kids, are also advantageous.
The study found that a total of just four and a half minutes of vigorous activity, broken up into bursts of about a minute each, during daily tasks could lower the risk of cancer by 18% overall and by up to 32% for some cancers associated with physical activity.
“It’s quite remarkable to see that upping the intensity of daily tasks for as little as four to five minutes a day, done in short bursts of around one minute each, is linked to an overall reduction in cancer risk by up to 18 per cent,” Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, of University of Sydney, said.
Daily short bursts of power walking or lugging heavy groceries through the grocery store are thought to have the same impact.
We are aware that the majority of middle-aged people do not regularly exercise, which increases their risk of developing cancer. However, it is only now, with the development of wearable technology like activity trackers, that we are able to examine the effects of brief bursts of incidental physical activity performed as part of daily life.
“It’s quite remarkable to see that upping the intensity of daily tasks for as little as four to five minutes a day, done in short bursts of around one minute each, is linked to an overall reduction in cancer risk by up to 18 per cent, and up to 32 per cent for cancer types linked to physical activity.”
Cancer types associated with exercise are those where cancer risk is higher when one does not exercise. Liver, lung, kidney, gastric cardia (a type of stomach cancer), endometrial, myeloid leukemia, myeloma, colorectal, head and neck, bladder, breast, and esophageal adenocarcinoma (cancer of the oesophagus) were among the cancers linked to physical activity.
The study, which was published in a medical journal, tracked the daily activity of more than 22,000 people who do not exercise using data from wearable devices. The clinical health records of the group were then followed by researchers for nearly seven years in order to check for cancer.
They discovered that even just four to five minutes of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (Vilpa) per day significantly reduced the risk of developing cancer when compared to people who did not engage in Vilpa.
