Sex May Serve as Fitness for All Ages

People who keep themselves fit and healthy enjoy longer and more satisfying sex lives, researchers have said.

Photo: Sex May Serve as Fitness for All Ages

Good health means people are almost twice as likely to be interested in sex compared with those who are ill or in poorer health. They are also likely to have regular sex - once or more a week - and report better quality lovemaking, experts found.

Researchers already know that regular sex can improve people's health and wellbeing.

Now, two new US studies on more than 6,000 people have determined the impact of health on sex. The results also revealed how many years of active sex people generally have left at different stages of their lives.

Aged 30, men have a sexually active life expectancy of nearly 35 years while women can expect another 31 years of sex. Aged 55, men can hope for another 15 years while women generally have another 11 years of sexual activity.

Being married or having a partner makes this gender difference less obvious, the research, published online in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found. Nevertheless, it seems men overall are more interested in sex and report a good sex life than women.

The difference between the genders was most noticeable among the 75 to 85 age group, where 39% of men compared with 17% of women were sexually active. A total of 71% of men compared with 51% of women who were sexually active at this age reported a good sex life, while 41% versus 11% of women were interested in sex.

Press Association has contributed to the report.