Prof. Hagai Levin Sperm Count Research (Hebrew University)
Libido worldwide is in steady decline, but now an interesting study has found a strong link between lack of libido and an increased risk of death from all causes among men living in Japan.
The research suggests that there may be an interesting connection between libido and longevity, a connection not previously identified.
In the new study published in the journal PLOS One, researchers from Yamagata University examined data on 20,969 people (8,558 men and 12,411 women) over the age of 40 who participated in annual health checkups in Yamagata Prefecture, a region of Japan known for its snowy and warm mountains.
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They then assessed their levels of sexual interest and their risk of dying from cancer, cardiovascular disease and other health conditions.
Surprisingly, or not, they found that all causes of death were significantly higher among sexually disinterested men.
This remained true even after accounting for age, diabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI, education, marital status, and psychological distress.
Although the women in the study were twice as likely to report low libido as the men, the researchers found no link between their low libido and mortality.
"Although sexual activity and sexual satisfaction are considered beneficial for health and psychological well-being in older groups, the relationship between sexual interest and longevity has not been studied. This study is the first to prospectively examine relationships between sexual interest and all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular and cancer mortality in a community-based population," write the authors of the study .
Not related to research.
The players of the Japanese national team for the 2022 World Cup (Photo: Reuters)
It is important to understand that the researchers did not specifically look for what drives the trend, they simply reported that they found a connection between the two.
They offer several speculative explanations for the relationship found.
The researchers' first explanation was that "men's lack of interest may be related to an unhealthy lifestyle."
It's possible that men with low libido felt uninspired about sex because they were also experiencing problems with their immune system and their neuroendocrine (responsible for hormones) system, which also made them more vulnerable to disease.
It is known that mental conditions such as depression can also affect people's libido and are linked to premature mortality among other things.
If this is indeed the case, it seems strange that the relationship was not also found when women were studied.
Equally, this study only looked at people living in one prefecture of Japan, meaning the conclusions may not necessarily apply to the rest of the world.
Considering all this, the research still turns up some interesting trends.
The researchers write that health authorities are investigating the possibility of launching initiatives to promote sexuality as a means of improving public health, just as other countries have done.
"The Canadian government, for example, through public health promotion materials, has begun to support sexual activity as one component of the 'aging well' agenda," the researchers wrote.
"In Japan, there are more prejudices about sex among the elderly than in the Western world. We hope that our findings will help promote public health through supporting sexuality in Japan."
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