The researchers in California has linked sexual intimacy with long telomeres. Telomeres are associated with slow aging and increased lifespan. The finding have added to a growing body of research on the importance of regular sexual activity to our mental, emotional, and now physical health.
Researchers found out that women who had sex at least once a week tend to have longer telomeres and this increased telomere length was not associated with relationship satisfaction, conflict, or stress in the relationship. This finding could have important applications, as increased telomere length is directly associated with increased health and longer life.
So what is a telomere ?
A telomere is a region of repetitive nucleotide sequences at each end of a chromosome, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration or from fusion with neighboring chromosomes or more simple language a telomere is a segment of DNA which has repetitive sequence.
While chromosomal deterioration is inevitable, as cells divide countless times during a lifetime, the telomeres keep this damage minimal. However, as cells divide continuously throughout a lifetime, telomeres continue to shorten to the point where they eventually die out and the chromosome can no longer divide and create new stem cells. It was reported in 2014 that the “olldest woman alive” had completely depleted telomeres which suggested that her body no longer had the capacity to create new cells.
Telomeres do not just shorten with old age, poor health habits like drinking, as well as traumatic life events, such as childhood abuse, can also shorten telomeres. However, healthy lifestyles, particularly active lifestyles, can actually lengthen these important cellular structures.
As the researchers explain, this study is just observational, based on only 129 women, and does not definitively prove anything. It may simply be that women with longer telomeres tend to have more sex, not the other way around. However, the results do suggest that there may be a link between our aging process and sexual activity.
Either way, the team hope to further investigate these findings and hopefully determine once and for all if an active sex life really does keep you young and health