Heartache trumps headache SEX IS A LIFESAVER
British heart campaign hypes bedroom sports
MISTY HARRIS CANWEST NEWS SERVICE
That sex can be a lifesaver isn’t news to most Canadians. But when the pronouncement comes from a leading authority on cardiovascular research – as opposed to, say, one’s pleading spouse – it carries considerably more weight in the bedroom.
The British Heart Foundation, drawing on decades of health research, is recommending sex as a means of staving off heart disease. Using the slogan “Get your 30 minutes a day, any way,” the foundation’s eye-popping new billboard campaign encourages people age 50 and older to horizontal-hula their way to health.
Their message is illustrated with ads depicting a nude man engaged in a passionate embrace with a swimsuit-clad woman, both of whom look more like extras from Cocoon than Basic Instinct.
“I think the campaign is relevant for people the world over,” said Lizzy Ray, a spokesperson for the charity foundation.
According to a 2007 community health study undertaken in Britain, a sedentary lifestyle kills someone every 15 minutes. Dr. Mike Knapton, director of prevention and care at the British Heart Foundation, says the antidote to these preventable deaths “is simple and achievable.”
“Keeping fit doesn’t have to mean sweating it out at the gym.”
Activities endorsed in the new billboards include washing the car, walking the dog, swimming, gardening, taking the stairs, vacuuming, dancing and, most notably, sex.
Studies have shown a thrice-weekly romp over the course of a year burns about the same number of calories as running 120 kilometres. Sex has also been found to increase blood flow to the brain, reduce migraine pain, improve the immune system by triggering the hormone DHEA, and lower the likelihood of stroke or heart attack.
Ted Fenske, a cardiologist and associate clinical professor at the University of Alberta, says the British Heart Foundation’s “flashy campaign” is a good way to grab the attention of people otherwise immune to doctors’ sermons on exercise.
“The risk of having a heart attack is slightly higher during intercourse than when one is not having intercourse,” he explained. “But the risk overall in a 24hour period, averaged out, is much lower than the person who sits on the couch … And if you (have intercourse) as a daily exercise, that incremental risk will be reduced substantially.”
But Fenske sees sex as an “add-on” to traditional exercises such as walking or jogging, saying “intercourse is more likely one of the benefits of being healthy and enjoying life without heart disease.”
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007
