Sex can help protect against dementia – here’s how much you’ll need to have

SEX may help protect against dementia by increasing blood flow to the brain, scientists say. Among 62- to 74-year-olds, the quality of sex and climaxes were most closely linked to mental acuity, a study found.

Those over 75, on the other hand, benefited most from frolicking at least once a week.

Prof. Shannon Shen of Hope College, Michigan, said: “Sex is physical exercise and exercise is linked to better cognitive performance by increasing blood flow to the brain.”

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“This may be particularly true in older people, as sedentary behavior is common there, so any circulatory benefits from sex may be important.” Although the frequency of sexual intercourse decreases with age, this could be a way to counteract brain atrophy.

“It has been shown to have a positive impact on a variety of mental and physical health outcomes, including heart health, happiness and well-being.”

Her team studied 1,683 Americans over the age of 62 for five years.

They asked them how often they had sex and how satisfying they found it – and gave them tests on attention, memory, thinking speed and math.

Prof Shen said the rush of the “feel-good hormone” dopamine during orgasm also protected nerves linked to memory. Almost a million Britons suffer from dementia, the leading cause of death in the UK. It is known that exercise and social contacts, a healthy diet and avoiding alcohol protect against this.