To slow down aging: You should make love this often

There are many benefits that come from making love: it burns calories, boosts your immune system, encourages intimacy, and of course, releases dopamine in your brain. So it's no surprise that sex also helps you feel young

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Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Illustration, Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Sex can actually help slow down aging. According to a 2017 study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, having sex at least once a week is associated with longer telomeres – the protective cap on DNA that determines the lifespan of cells.

Longer telomeres are associated with slower cell aging and longer lifespans, it says The Healthy, and transfers N1 Zagreb.

Researchers followed the sex lives of 129 women in relationships. They reported daily on their satisfaction with their relationship, as well as how often they were intimate with their partners.

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The researchers also took blood samples from the women, analyzing cells and markers of aging. They found that women who had sex with their partners during the previous week had longer telomeres compared to those who had not. This type of research only shows an association and cannot prove that sexual activity was the cause of longer telomeres.

However, telomere length is thought to be important for health - they are essential for healthy ageing.

Over time, telomeres degrade as cells divide, becoming a little shorter with each cell division.

Certain factors are thought to promote their faster breakdown, such as poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption and the natural aging process.

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Research shows that sex may be beneficial when it comes to protecting telomeres, which means cells can live longer. Researchers have linked shorter telomeres to serious health problems such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes; longer telomeres appear to help prevent disease.

While there is no magic formula for couples' sexual happiness, a 2017 study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior looked at how often people have sex. The study found that the average adult has sex 54 times a year – about once a week – based on data from 1989 to 2014.

Although that number has declined slightly since the 1990s, another study, published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, followed more than 30.000 Americans for 40 years or more. Researchers found that couples who had sex more than once a week were no happier than those who only had sex once a week. Researchers suggest that the old adage "less is more" may apply to sex — but that doesn't mean you have to follow a strict schedule.

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