Wayne wrote:
"The problem with these studies is it puts the cart before the horse:
Healthier people are more likely to have more sex.... its more to do with the fact that they've kept fit and healthy in general."
I don't voluntarily read Stuff any more unless someone asks me to read one of their articles. These legacy media agencies publish brain-numbing drivel and misinformation nowadays, dressed up as news and information.
I'd say that Wayne is correct, but concede that sex is good for health, so long as it is consensual and mutually satisfying and not one way. Furthermore, the sex-health-sex-health continuum is not linear but circular: Sex is good for health, and good health is good for healthy, satisfying sex.
For there are to be health benefits from sex I'd put a healthy, loving and nurturing relationship with another person who, obviously, is experiencing similar positive feelings at the top of the list.
This article and Wayne's comments had me wondering whether sex is healthy if it must be aided by mood-altering and performance-enhancing drugs. It might be easy to say, "No!" if the sex act is preceded by "P" or cocaine, but how about a common prescription drug like Viagra? While older men and women may find Viagra beneficial for performance, is the person healthier due to the act afterwards? If a drug is needed to bring sex to satisfaction, then one may assume there are underlying health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic exhaustion, or prescription drug side effects, and drugs like Viagra may allow a person to ignore the signs that not all is well deep inside their body (Impotence is a powerful warning signal of undiagnosed disease such as arteriosclerosis). Drugs such as Viagra have many side effects, including ones affecting the heart. An irregular heartbeat, for instance, increases stroke risk.
So, in conclusion, yes, I agree sex is good for health but with provisos. Enjoy the act, but if things are not 100% in the House of Love, then take a close, cold hard look at what may be working against you, and deal with them by employing healthy remedies.