By San Knew

Recently, a reader commented that as often as he reads about sexually transmitted diseases and infections, it’s amazing anyone would want to have sex at all. So I thought I would take a moment to share all the wonderful benefits to having a healthy and safe sex life. Aside from the opportunity of sharing an amazing experience with someone, there are other parts of your body that can reap the benefits, as well.

Did you know that an average of 30 minutes of sex could burn up to 85 calories

? But not to worry, for all of you who are taking it slow – you don’t have to go all the way to get all of the benefits. Daily Muscle published its own unofficial finding and broke down the numbers to “the build up”. The publication attributes somewhere between 120 to 235 calories for kissing, approximately 8 calories for undressing and an actual orgasm can burn as many as 100 calories. And not only can these benefits be seen in one’s waistline, but there’s some good things happening inside your body, as well.

CBS News reported that researchers found, “having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for men, compared with those who had sex less than once a month”. There are also reports correlating fewer cancer diagnoses among men with high frequency of ejaculation. The Journal of the American Medical Association found that “Frequent ejaculations (21 or more a month) were linked to lower prostate cancer risks in older men, as well, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly.” Wilkes University has also conducted its own study, in which it identified that people who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of antibodies, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections.

However, as most of us already know, the best benefit of great sex is how it makes us feel. One reason for those good vibrations may be explained by studies showing increased levels of oxytocin during sex. Oxytocin is a chemical produced in the brain, usually associated with “pair bonding” (it’s also referred to as the “love hormone”). These increased levels are associated with a reduced sense of pain and feelings of anxiety and an increased sense of generosity and intimacy. Additionally, CNN shared a study published in Biological Psychology, that found “people who had sex more often tended to have lower diastolic blood pressure.” The study also linked the finding to feelings of decreased stress levels in general for those individuals.

So there you have it, no mention of the 19 million new sexually transmitted infections (STI) reported each year, nor mention of the $14.7 billion spent on STI related healthcare costs; just the benefits of a HEALTHY and SAFE sexual experience, which we should all take advantage of. Did I mention HEALTHY and SAFE?