A study of more than 5,700 men found that male people over 50 see their risk of serious illness increase by more than two-thirds.
The research also shows that women are 64% more likely to report health problems if they have sex less often, but there is no significant increase in the risk of serious illness.
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A night of passion can have health benefits, it can burn 85 calories and release healthy endorphins that boost the immune system.
According to the study, men who become less interested in sex are 63 percent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 41 percent more likely to develop a long-standing disease.
Researchers who looked at people's health for more than four years after being asked about their sex lives and say a decline in sex can also be a warning sign.
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If individuals are too tired to make love, that fatigue can be a red flag for the disease, while men suffering from impotence may have vascular problems that put them at risk for heart disease.
Among men whose libido stayed the same or improved, just over 15% developed a long-standing disease or disability, such as diabetes or arthritis, in the next four years.
But that rate was higher among men who said their sex drive had decreased.
The cancer rate in these men was 6.7 percent, compared with 4.3 percent in those whose libido had not decreased.
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Men who said they were having less sex than a year ago were 69% more likely to have a long-standing illness.
Experts can't say for sure whether lack of sex leads to the disease or whether having less sex is a sign that someone is already sick before being diagnosed.
SOURCE / Daily Mail
