THE solution to protecting yourself against prostate cancer could lie in your own hands, men have been told.

Australian scientists at the Cancer Council Victoria have found that young men who masturbate frequently are less likely to develop prostate tumours. Their study shows that the more men ejaculate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to suffer from the most common male cancer. The protective effect is greatest for men in their twenties, with those ejaculating at least five times a week being one third less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer in the future.

Masturbation, rather than sexual intercourse, was responsible for the beneficial effect, the scientists said. Graham Giles, who led the research, said regular ejaculations probably flushed out the prostate gland, preventing the build-up of dangerous carcinogens. “The more you flush the ducts out, the less there is to hang around and damage the cells that line them,” he said.

In the study, reported in New Scientist, Dr Giles’s team asked 1,079 men with prostate cancer and 1,259 healthy men of the same age to fill in a questionnaire about their sexual histories, including levels of masturbation and sexual intercourse. The results showed a much larger number of ejaculations in those free from prostate cancer. This was surprising, because previous research indicated that having many sexual partners, or a high frequency of sexual activity, could increase the risk of the disease by up to 40 per cent.

The critical difference between the studies is that earlier work asked only about sexual intercourse, not about masturbation. Dr Giles said that the latter activity seemed safe and beneficial to prostate health, while the former exposed men to increased risk.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• An officer and a gentle woman
• Dame Helen Mirren is worthy of the Epidaurus
• Foods that can help to prevent swine flu