Participants were also asked to keep a diary of their sexual activity for 2 weeks prior to the test. It turned out that those who had sex were the least stressed out, and their blood pressures returned to normal faster after the public speaking test than it did for the participants who abstained from sex. People who had penile-vaginal intercourse did twice as well as people who only masturbated or had no sex at all, says psychologist and lead researcher Stuart Brody. A roll in the hay keeps the doctor away. Take two and call us at the end of the week. People who have sex once or twice weekly have stronger immune systems than people who have sex less than once a week, according to a study at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania by psychologists Carl Charnetski, PhD, and Francis Brennan Jr., PhD. In their , Feeling Good is Good for You: How Pleasure Can Boost Your Immune System and Lengthen Your Life, the researchers described a study in which they took saliva samples fro

Analysis showed that the saliva of the students who had sex once or twice a week had 30 percent more of the antigen immunoglobulin A (IgA) than students who had sex less often. IgA is the bodys first line of defense against colds and flu, says Charnetski. Other studies show that happy relationships are good for health. In one experiment reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh scientists shot live rhinovirus up the noses of volunteers. Those who reported having strong ties with lovers, friends, and family were the least likely to catch a cold. Good lovin is better than a bandage. Love helps bodies heal faster. Researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center inflicted minor blister wounds on the arms of 45 married couples during 24-hour visits on two different occasions. On the first visit, the couples were prompted to have a supportive, positive di

Two months later, after new wounds were administered, the couples were prompted to argue. Results showed that wounds healed nearly twice as fast after the warm and positive interaction than after the argument. More sex may turn back the clock. Can having sex keep wrinkles away? British neuropsychologist

David Weeks of Royal Edinburgh Hospital believes so. In a 10-year-long study, he interviewed 3,500 adults in England and the United States and found that people who reported having sex four times a week looked about 10 years younger than they actually were. Pleasure derived from having loving sex releases hormones, including human growth hormone, that are crucial in preserving youth, he says. Frequent orgasms may protect against cancer. A French study in The Journal of Clinical Epidemiology found a correlation between lack of vaginal intercourse and increased risk of breast cancer. Some scientists theorize that sperm may contain antigens. Others believe hormones like oxytocin and DHEA that increase during arousal may provide some protective effect. Love longer, keep him around longer. Its no secret that women typically outlive men. But having regular sex may help women protect their husbands health. An Irish study published in the British Medical Journal tracked the mortality of 1,000