10 Surprising Health Benefits of Sex

An interesting piece of article I came across recently in WedMD.

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The health benefits of sex extend well beyond the bedroom. Turns out sex is good for you in ways you may never have imagined.

When you're in the mood, it's a sure bet that the last thing on your mind is boosting your immune system or maintaining a healthy weight. Yet good sex offers those health benefits and more.

That's a surprise to many people, says Joy Davidson, PhD, a New York psychologist and sex therapist. "Of course, sex is everywhere in the media," she says. "But the idea that we are vital, sexual creatures is still looked at in some cases with disgust or in other cases a bit of embarrassment. So to really take a look at how our sexuality adds to our life and enhances our life and our health, both physical and psychological, is eye-opening for many people."

Sex does a body good in a number of ways, according to Davidson and other experts. The benefits aren't just anecdotal or hearsay -- each of these 10 health benefits of sex is backed by scientific scrutiny.

Among the benefits of healthy loving in a relationship:

1. Sex Relieves Stress
A big health benefit of sex is lower blood pressure and overall stress reduction, according to researchers from Scotland who reported their findings in the journal Biological Psychology. They studied 24 women and 22 men who kept records of their sexual activity. Then the researchers subjected them to stressful situations -- such as speaking in public and doing verbal arithmetic -- and noted their blood pressure response to stress.

Those who had intercourse had better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviors or abstained.

Another study published in the same journal found that frequent intercourse was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure in cohabiting participants. Yet other research found a link between partner hugs and lower blood pressure in women.

2. Sex Boosts Immunity
Good sexual health may mean better physical health. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. Scientists at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., took samples of saliva, which contain IgA, from 112 college students who reported the frequency of sex they had.

Those in the "frequent" group -- once or twice a week -- had higher levels of IgA than those in the other three groups -- who reported being abstinent, having sex less than once a week, or having it very often, three or more times weekly.

3. Sex Burns Calories
Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound. Doubling up, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions.

"Sex is a great mode of exercise," says Patti Britton, PhD, a Los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators and Therapists. It takes work, from both a physical and psychological perspective, to do it well, she says.

4. Sex Improves Cardiovascular Health
While some older folks may worry that the efforts expended during sex could cause a stroke, that's not so, according to researchers from England. In a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, scientists found frequency of sex was not associated with stroke in the 914 men they followed for 20 years.

And the heart health benefits of sex don't end there. The researchers also found that having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for the men, compared with those who had sex less than once a month.

5. Sex Boosts Self-Esteem
Boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex, collected by University of Texas researchers and published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

That finding makes sense to Gina Ogden, PhD, a sex therapist and marriage and family therapist in Cambridge, Mass., although she finds that those who already have self-esteem say they sometimes have sex to feel even better. "One of the reasons people say they have sex is to feel good about themselves," she tells WebMD. "Great sex begins with self-esteem, and it raises it. If the sex is loving, connected, and what you want, it raises it."

6. Sex Improves Intimacy
Having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which helps us bond and build trust. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina evaluated 59 premenopausal women before and after warm contact with their husbands and partners ending with hugs. They found that the more contact, the higher the oxytocin levels.

"Oxytocin allows us to feel the urge to nurture and to bond," Britton says.

Higher oxytocin has also been linked with a feeling of generosity. So if you're feeling suddenly more generous toward your partner than usual, credit the love hormone.

7. Sex Reduces Pain
As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins increase, and pain declines. So if your headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin levels.

In a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 48 volunteers who inhaled oxytocin vapor and then had their fingers pricked lowered their pain threshold by more than half.

8. Sex Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Frequent ejaculations, especially in 20-something men, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer later in life, Australian researchers reported in the British Journal of Urology International. When they followed men diagnosed with prostate cancer and those without, they found no association of prostate cancer with the number of sexual partners as the men reached their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

But they found men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third.

Another study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more a month, were linked to lower prostate cancer risk in older men, as well, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly.

9. Sex Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles
For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels during sex offers a couple of benefits. You will enjoy more pleasure, and you'll also strengthen the area and help to minimize the risk of incontinence later in life.

To do a basic Kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor, as if you're trying to stop the flow of urine. Count to three, then release.

10. Sex Helps You Sleep Better
The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, according to research.

And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure. Something to think about, especially if you've been wondering why your guy can be active one minute and snoring the next.

Cholesterol: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I am getting very health conscious these days after my recent medical checkup. I will publish more information on health issues gathered from internet, magazines, newspapers etc. Today’s health topic is still on Cholesterol.

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For decades, news stories and TV ads have hammered it into our heads: Cholesterol is bad for you. (Got the message yet?)

High cholesterol levels lead to clogged arteries in a process called atherosclerosis. Lowering cholesterol lowers the risk of diseases caused by atherosclerosis, like heart attacks and strokes.

What makes cholesterol so bad for your arteries? And isn't there a "good" cholesterol? How does treating high cholesterol help?

In cholesterol and atherosclerosis, there are good guys and bad guys:

"Bad" cholesterol, also called low-density lipoprotein (LDL), has chemical properties that can damage arteries. Damaged areas allow more LDL to penetrate artery walls. The LDL gets stuck and accumulates in the artery's wall.

(Warning: chemistry lesson ahead!) Inside the artery wall, free radicals transform LDL from something bad to something worse: oxidized LDL. The cholesterol chemical spill attracts white blood cells and other cells to try to clean up the mess. The cells chew up and digest oxidized LDL.

Once begun, this whole process tends to continue. Over years, the deposit of "bad" cholesterol, cells, and debris grows larger, and it's called a plaque.

"Good" cholesterol, known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL), is the yin to LDL's yang. HDL is on your side: it circulates through your body, acting like a cholesterol magnet. HDL diverts and delivers cholesterol away from your arteries. Much of the cholesterol is either eliminated from the body, delivered to tissues such as the liver, or used to make hormones.

As cholesterol plaques form and grow inside arteries, they eventually can begin to block off blood flow. Here's where atherosclerosis gets ugly.

The LDL-rich center of the plaque can be stable, meaning it grows in a slow, controlled way. The plaque may eventually cause symptoms, but generally speaking, the body adapts. These blockages seldom cause heart attacks.

Plaques can instead be unstable. Remember the cells inside the plaque, digesting all the LDL? As they work, these cells release enzymes that dissolve some of the biological "duct tape" (collagen) holding the plaque together.

Unstable plaques are prone to tearing. If they rupture, they release material that causes a blood clot to form inside the artery. Within minutes, blood flow is cut off. The result: a heart attack or stroke.

Cholesterol Treatment: Down With the Bad, Up With the Good
The link between cholesterol and atherosclerosis led to treatments to improve cholesterol levels. Numerous medications, and changes in lifestyle, can improve cholesterol and reduce atherosclerosis.

Exercise with or without weight loss increases "good" HDL cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

A diet high in fiber and reduced fats can lower "bad" LDL cholesterol. Plant-derived stanols used as fat substitutes also help lower cholesterol.

Statins are the most-often prescribed medicines for high cholesterol. Statins can dramatically lower "bad" LDL cholesterol, by up to 60% or more. They can also increase HDL modestly. In studies, statins reduce the rates of heart attacks, strokes, and death from atherosclerosis.

Prevention
Adoption of a healthier lifestyle, including aerobic exercise and a low-fat diet, should reduce the prevalence of obesity, high cholesterol, and, ultimately, the risk of coronary heart disease.

First, see your doctor. A simple blood test checks for high cholesterol. You may be asked to fast overnight before the test. Just knowing your total cholesterol level isn't enough. A complete lipid profile measures your LDL, total cholesterol, HDL (the good cholesterol), and triglycerides. The guidelines say healthy adults should have this analysis every 5 years.

Strive for daily intake of less than 7% of your calories from saturated fat and less than 200 mg of cholesterol from the food you eat.

You may eat up to 30% of your calories from total fat, but most should be from unsaturated fat, which doesn't raise cholesterol levels.

Add more soluble fiber (found in cereal grains, beans, peas, and many fruits and vegetables) and foods that contain plant stanols and sterols (included in certain margarines and salad dressings) to boost your LDL-lowering power. The best way to know what's in the foods you eat is to read the nutrition label.

Lower cholesterol levels start at the grocery store. Read food labels, and buy foods low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol. To help you know what to look for when grocery shopping, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has a partial shopping list for you.

* Breads - Whole wheat, rye, pumpernickel, or white
* Soft tortillas - Corn or whole wheat
* Hot and cold cereals - Except granola or muesli
* Rice - White, brown, wild, basmati, or jasmine
* Grains - Bulgur, couscous, quinoa, barley, hominy, or millet
* Fruits - Any fresh, canned, dried, or frozen without added sugar
* Vegetables - Any fresh, frozen, or (low-salt) canned without cream or cheese sauce
* Fresh or frozen juices without added sugar
* Fat-free or 1% milk
* Cheese with 3 grams of fat or less per serving
* Low-fat or nonfat yogurt
* Lean cuts of meat - Eye of round beef, top round, sirloin, or pork tenderloin
* Lean or extra lean ground beef
* Chicken or turkey - White or light meat, skin removed
* Fish - Most white meat fish is very low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
* Tuna - Light meat canned in water
* Peanut butter, reduced fat
* Eggs, egg whites, egg substitutes
* Low-fat cookies or angel food cake
* Low-fat frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet
* Popcorn without butter or oil, pretzels, baked tortilla chips
* Margarine - Soft, diet, tub, or liquid
* Vegetable oil - Canola, olive, corn, peanut, or sunflower
* Nonstick cooking spray
* Sparkling water, tea, lemonade

Are you worried about your cholesterol levels?

Received my health screening test results yesterday. The cholesterol reading was rather high above the healthy range. Doctor gave some advice on diet and provided the following health tips to reduce cholesterol level.

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Has your doctor said you have high cholesterol (called hypercholesterolemia)? Then you know you need to change your diet and lifestyle to lower cholesterol and your risk of heart disease. Even if your doctor prescribed a cholesterol drug to bring levels down, you'll still need to change your diet and become more active for cardiovascular health. These simple tips can help you keep cholesterol levels in check.

Cholesterol, Good and Bad
Your body needs a small amount of cholesterol to function properly. But we may get too much saturated fat and cholesterol in our diet – and both raise levels of LDL "bad" cholesterol. LDL cholesterol can cause plaque to build up in arteries, leading to heart disease. HDL"good" cholesterol, on the other hand, helps clear bad cholesterol from your blood. You want to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol, starting with your diet.

Give Yourself a Hand
Most Americans eat super-sized meals, with portions that are twice the size recommended for good health. That can contribute to weight gain and high cholesterol. Here's an easy way to practice portion control for a meal: Use your hand. One serving of meat or fish is about what fits in the palm of your hand. One serving of fresh fruit is about the size of your fist. And a serving of cooked vegetables, rice, or pasta should fit in your cupped hand.

Serve Up the Heart-Healthy Food
Watching what you eat doesn't mean going hungry. Load your plate with fruits and vegetables – five to nine servings a day. The more you eat, the more you'll lower LDL "bad" cholesterol. One theory is that the antioxidants in fruits and veggies help reduce cholesterol. Another theory is that when we eat more fruits and veggies, we eat less fat. Either way, you'll also help lower blood pressure and maintain a healthy weight.

For heart health, look to the sea
A heart-healthy diet has fish on the menu twice a week. Why? Fish is low in saturated fat and high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help lower levels of trigylcerides, a type of fat in the blood. They may also help lower cholesterol, slowing the growth of plaque in arteries. Go for fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, trout, and sardines. Just don't drop the filets in the deep fryer – you'll negate the health benefits.

Start Your Day With Whole Grains
A bowl of oatmeal or whole-grain cereal has benefits that last all day. The fiber and complex carbohydrates in whole grains help you feel fuller for longer, so you'll be less tempted to overeat at lunch. They also help reduce LDL "bad" cholesterol and can be an important part of your weight loss strategy. Other examples of whole grains include wild rice, popcorn, brown rice, barley, and whole-wheat flour.

Go Nuts for Cardiovascular Health
Need a snack? A handful of nuts is a tasty treat that helps in lowering cholesterol. Nuts are high in monounsaturated fat, which lowers LDL "bad" cholesterol while leaving HDL "good" cholesterol intact. Several studies show that people who eat about an ounce of nuts a day have lower risk of heart disease. Nuts are high in fat and calories, so only eat a handful. And make sure they're not covered in sugar or chocolate.

Unsaturated Fats Protect the Heart
We all need a little fat in our diet – about 25% to 35% of our daily calories. But the type of fat matters. Unsaturated fats -- like those found in canola, olive, and safflower oils – lower LDL "bad" cholesterol levels and may help raise HDL "good" cholesterol. Saturated fats – like those found in butter and palm oil – and trans fats raise LDL cholesterol. Even good fats have calories, so eat in moderation.

More Beans, Fewer Potatoes
You need carbohydrates for energy, but some do your body more good than others. Whole grains – such as brown rice or quinoa – whole-wheat pasta, and beans have more fiber and raise sugar levels less. They lower risk of diabetes and high cholesterol. Other carbs, like those found in white bread, white potatoes, white rice, and pastries, quickly boost blood sugar and may raise risk of type 2 diabetes.

Move It!
Even 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week (20 minutes three times a week for vigorous exercise, such as jogging) can help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol – although more exercise is even better. It also helps you maintain an ideal weight, reducing your chance of developing clogged arteries. You don't have to exercise for 30 minutes straight – you can break it up into 10-minute increments.

Walk It Off
If you're not used to exercising – or hate the thought of going to a gym – just go for a walk. It's easy, healthy, and all you need is a good pair of shoes. Aerobic or cardiovascular exercise such as walking lowers risk of stroke and heart disease, helps you lose weight, and keeps bones strong. If you're just starting out, try a 10-minute walk and gradually build up from there.

Work Out Without Going to the Gym
If exercise sounds like a dirty word to you, here's some good news: You can boost your heart health by incorporating physical activity into your day. Any kind of cardiovascular activity counts – gardening, dancing, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Even housework can qualify as exercise – as long as you're doing serious cleaning that gets your heart rate up and not just light dusting.

Take Charge of Your Health
If you have high cholesterol, you and your doctor may be using a number of strategies to lower cholesterol levels. You may be working on your diet, losing weight, exercising more, and maybe taking cholesterol drugs. There are other actions you can take, too, to make sure you stay on the right track.

What to Do When Eating Out
If you're eating healthy food at home to keep cholesterol in check, don't blow it when you eat out. Restaurant food can be loaded with saturated fat, calories, and sodium. Even healthy choices may come in super-size portions. Try these tips to stay on track:
• Choose broiled, baked, steamed, and grilled foods – not fried.
• Get sauces on the side.
• Practice portion control by asking for half your meal to be boxed up before it's brought out.

Look for Hidden Traps
A close look at nutrition labels is essential for a low-cholesterol, heart-healthy diet. Try these tips:
• Check serving sizes. The nutrition info may look good, but does the package contain two servings instead of one?
• If it says "whole grain," read the ingredients. Whole wheat or whole grain should be the first one.
• A food with "0 grams cholesterol" could still raise your LDL cholesterol. Saturated fat is the other culprit to watch for.

Don't Stress Out
Chronic stress can raise blood pressure, adding to your risk of atherosclerosis, which occurs when plaque from cholesterol builds up in arteries. And research shows that for some people, stress might directly increase cholesterol levels. Reduce your stress levels with relaxation exercises, meditation, or biofeedback. Focus on your breathing and take deep, refreshing breaths. It's a simple stress-buster you can do anywhere.

When Losing Means Winning
Losing weight is one of the best things you can do to fight cardiovascular disease. Being overweight affects the lining of your arteries, making them more prone to collect plaque from cholesterol. Losing weight – especially belly fat, which is linked to hardening of the arteries – helps raise HDL "good" cholesterol and reduce LDL "bad" cholesterol. Aim to keep your body mass index (BMI), an indicator of body fat, under 25.

Follow Your Doctor's Advice
Managing your cholesterol is a lifelong process. See your doctor regularly to keep tabs on your health. Follow your doctor's recommendations on diet, exercise, and medication. Working together, you and your doctor can lower your cholesterol levels and keep your heart going strong.