Prostate cancer link to strong sex drive

MEN who are "very" sexually active in their 20s and 30s are more likely to develop prostate cancer, scientists said yesterday.

Frequent sexual activity between those ages increases the risk of the illness in later life, according to researchers. But frequent sexual activity in men in their 40s and older appeared to have little impact on their risk, data published in this month's issue of the journal BJU International revealed.

Dr Polyxeni Dimitro-poulou, of Cambridge University, said: "Hormones appear to play a key role in prostate cancer.

"A man's sex drive is also regulated by his hormone levels, so this study examined the theory that having a high sex drive affects the risk of prostate cancer."

The study, led by the University of Nottingham, looked at the sexual practices of more than 431 men diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 60.