New Evidence for Protective Effects of Vitamin D on Your Heart

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New Evidence for Protective Effects of Vitamin D on Your Heart

By Everyday Health Guest Columnist

Published Jul 24, 2014

By Paolo Boffetta, MD, MPH, Special to Everyday Health

Although vitamin D is obtained from diet and dietary supplements, the main source of vitamin D is production in our skin under the influence of solar radiation.

As sun exposure varies with the latitude of regions and during the year, so vitamin D concentrations of populations vary accordingly. Furthermore, women are generally more prone to low vitamin D concentrations than men. Vitamin D deficiency is especially common among the elderly who often have less sun exposure because of reduced outdoor activity and reduced capacity of the skin to produce vitamin D.

Research on Vitamin D’s Protective Role

We conducted an international study of eight populations from Europe and the United States to investigate the association of level of vitamin D in blood and deaths from all-causes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer mortality, published in the British Medical Journal in June 2014. We paid attention to differences between countries, sexes, age groups and seasons of blood sampling. The study was conducted with the CHANCES Project, a research initiative funded by the European Commission and coordinated by scientists at the Hellenic Health Foundation in Athens, Greece, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, and primary authors were from the German Cancer Research Center, in Heidelberg.

A total of 26,018 people had their vitamin D level measured in blood samples collected at enrolment in the study, when they were ages 50 to 79, and were followed for an average of 4 to 16 years, depending on the population. During this period 6,695 of them died, including 2,624 from cardiovascular disease and 2,227 from cancer. We compared the risk of dying between the group with highest vitamin D level and those with lower levels by dividing each study population in five groups of equal size based on their baseline vitamin D level.

Increased Deaths in People With Low Vitamin D Levels

Compared with the group with the highest vitamin D, people in the group with lowest vitamin D had a 57 percent increased mortality for all causes. They also had a 41 percent increased mortality from heart disease for those who were free from heart disease at the study’s start. In addition, individuals with history of cardiovascular disease had a 65 percent increased risk. People with a history of cancer had a 70 percent increased risk. However, for cancer mortality, we saw no benefit in those who were free from cancer at the start.

For all these associations, the three groups with intermediate vitamin D level were at intermediate risk, with a dose-response relation. These associations did not vary by sex, age group, or season of blood collection.

For the US population in the study, the comparison was between people with level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (the main metabolite of vitamin D, and the active compound measured in blood) just above 85 nmol/L on the high end, and people with a level below about 42 nmol/L on the lowest. In that population, the difference in mortality was 42 percent for all causes and 26 percent for cardiovascular diseases.

Since ours an observational study, it cannot directly address the issue of causality. In other words, it is possible that blood vitamin D is a marker of some other characteristics causally linked to disease and mortality, like general good or poor health status. Controlled vitamin D trials, in which individuals are randomly allocated to vitamin D supplement or placebo, are needed to disentangle the effect of vitamin D from that of other factors. However, such studies can only address the effect of dietary supplementation, not of normal dietary intake and sun-related endogenous production. Prior trials showed a protective effect of vitamin D on mortality, albeit of smaller magnitude than observational studies, including ours.

Why Vitamin D Is Good for the Heart

If indeed the protective effect of vitamin D on mortality is real, our study provides important evidence that the effect is present for cardiovascular disease — but not for cancer. The protective effect is present at all ages and in both sexes. Unfortunately, our study did not include a sufficient number of people of different racial and ethnic groups to provide information on this important issue.

An important question is the identification of who should increase their vitamin D status using supplements. There is no consensus on ideal cut-off values for vitamin D deficiency. Our observation that the use of cut-off levels which were specific for country, age, sex, or season produced comparable results, raises the question whether such factors should be considered for defining vitamin D deficiency.

Future population-based studies with standardized vitamin D measurements are needed to fully resolve this issue; in the meantime, caution should be used in extrapolating results across regions with different latitudes.

Despite these uncertainties, I recommend moderate sun exposure, in particular in the elderly.  The amount of sun exposure depends on the type of skin (15-30 minutes are sufficient for a fair skinned person, while one or two hours are needed for dark skinned person) and on the latitude the person lives (more time is needed in Northern regions, in particular in winter). If sun exposure is not sufficient, people can consider taking supplements, after talking with their doctor.

Paolo Boffetta, MD, MPH is a chronic disease epidemiologist who is Director of the Institute for Translational Epidemiology and Associate Director for Population Sciences of the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine, which is part of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.  He has edited 12 books and published more than 1,000 peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Judge Not Less...

Health Tips

Judge Not Less...

Health Tips

3 Surprising Reasons to Give Up Soda

By Leah Zerbe

 

You already know it's not good for you, but these three facts could help you quit soda—cold turkey.

By now, it's probably fair to say that most Americans know soda isn't a health-promoting drink. Over the years, the carbonated beverage has been blamed for the obesity epidemic and rising healthcare costs. Some public health experts have even called for a soda tax to help deter people from drinking so much of it. While love handles and diabetes are obvious problems associated with soda, drinking the sweet carbonated beverages harbors hidden threats, too.

1. It causes invisible fat buildup around your organs.

In the latest bad news for the soda industry, Danish researchers discovered that drinking non-diet soda leads to dramatic increases in dangerous hidden fats. In the study, researchers asked participants to drink either soda sweetened with 50 percent glucose and 50 fructose (table sugar, the soda sweetener of choice in Denmark), milk containing the same amount of calories as the regular soda, diet cola, or water every day for six months.

While total fat mass remained the same across all beverage-consuming groups, researchers say dramatic increases in fats that are hard to detect with the naked eye occurred. Those who drank the regular cola experienced a 132 to 142 percent increase in liver fat, a 117 to 221 percent jump in skeletal fat, and about a 30 percent increase in both triglyceride blood fats and other organ fat. The regular soda-drinking group also experienced an 11 percent increase in cholesterol, compared to the people who drank beverages.

In America, many sodas are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup that has been shown to cause even worse fat buildup. Avoid turning to diet soda as a healthy alternative. Artificial sweeteners and food dyes have been linked to brain cell damage and hyperactivity; people who drink diet soda are also more prone to developing diabetes.

2. Some contain toxic flame retardants.

Some popular soda brands, including Mountain Dew, use a toxic flame retardant chemical ingredient to keep the artificial flavoring from separating from the rest of the liquid. Brominated vegetable oil, also sometimes listed as BVO on soda and sports drink, can cause bromide poisoning symptoms like skin lesions and memory loss, as well as nerve disorders.

3. You're taking part in the biggest science experiment on the planet.

Many soda brands on the market in America today are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, a heart-harming man-made compound derived mainly from genetically engineered (GE) corn. GE technology was only introduced into our food chain in the 1990s. We don't know the long-term health impacts of their use because the corporations that developed the crops never had to test to make sure it's safe over the long term. Other independent scientists are finding that GE crops are linked to digestive tract damage, accelerated aging, and even infertility.

Health and Happiness

Meditation to Match Your Personality

By Holly C. Corbett

Think You’re Not the Meditation Type?

Think again! You can channel some Zen with a technique that fits your personality.

We get it. Telling you to meditate is a whole lot easier said than done. Sure, research links it to all kinds of health benefits—stress relief, improved memory, and better blood sugar, to name a few—but that won’t do you much good if your blood pressure spikes just thinking about sitting still for five minutes. The good news is that this doesn’t mean you can’t meditate; you just haven’t found the right fit.

“Everyone can meditate,” says Sarah McLean, a meditation teacher in Sedona, Arizona, and author of Soul Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks With Meditation (May 2012; Hay House). “Any activity can become a meditative experience if you’re really present in the moment and engage your senses.”


Natural Cure For Pain Relief  


How? Simply slowing down and being mindful of what’s happening right now—rather than, say, thinking about what you ate for lunch yesterday or whether you remembered to put your clothes in the dryer—can calm your nervous system, says McLean. You mind will drift, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. “It’s like training a puppy,” says McLean. “Stick with it and your mind will settle down.”

Here’s how to channel some inner peace with a technique tailored to your personality.

If you’re artsy…light a candle. “Concentrating on a flame can be a good way for visual types to stay in the moment,” says McLean. Sit three feet from a flame at eye level, and watch it closely for five to 10 minutes. Continue to bring your attention back to the flame every time you notice your focus starting to drift away.

If you’re a foodie…savor each bite. Focus on a small morsel, such as a raisin, strawberry, or nut, and notice its shape, size, color, texture, and scent. Place it on your tongue, enjoying the flavor and keeping it in your mouth for as long as you can, at least 20 seconds. Chew slowly. “By turning your focus inward and concentrating on sensations such as taste and smell, eating can feel like a new, exciting experience,” says McLean.

If you’re athletic…take a hike. Try walking for 10 minutes without the iPod. As you stroll (no rushing!), stare at the ground about three feet in front of you. Notice the sound of your breath, focus on the physical sensation of the air on your skin, observe the texture of the ground in front of you. “Over time, walking meditations can train your brain to better focus on the here and now,” McLean says.

If you’re a word lover…find a mantra. Sometimes your mind just needs a place to rest. Repeating calming words can give your mind that opportunity to chill. Find a quiet place and sit with your back straight but not rigid. Set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes, and repeat words that will help settle—rather than stimulate—your mind. Try saying “Let” on an inhale and “go” on an exhale, either out loud or silently to yourself. “It can help interrupt the monologue in your head and naturally settle down your thinking process,” says McLean. 

8 Bad Eating Habits to Break Now

Healthy  Living 

 

Are you a food binger? Here are the different types of binging classified as bad eating habits!

So which one are you? Well, either way , you've got a bad eating habit to break!

 

8 Bad Eating Habits to Break Now

http://ph.she.yahoo.com

We're all guilty of having some bad eating habits and although we tell ourselves that we'll get back on track tomorrow, there are definitely long-term effects of these bad habits. Many of these bad habits can be broken with very little effort; it just takes a little patience and forming new, healthier habits. So take a peek at this list of 8 bad eating habits to break now and see if you're like me and guilty of having one or some of these bad eating habits and break them now!

 

Missing the Meal Train  

Another unhealthy eating habit is to skip meals. Skipping breakfast is probably the worst, but anytime you skip a meal, your metabolism slows down and you're much likelier to snack on something and overeat later. Plan and make meals ahead of time so that you don't have an excuse to skip a meal. You don't have to plan elaborate meals; you can do something as easy as making a bunch of salads, making smoothies or packing fruit. 

 

Multitasking Mama 

 Another one of the most common bad eating habits is to eat while you're distracted. If you commonly eat while you're reading, watching TV, working or anything else besides just eating, you're more likely to eat more then and later. Your brain isn't really registering that you're eating and you can end up eating and eating without really feeling full. Take a break from whatever you're doing and just eat without doing anything else, you deserve the break! 

 

Potato Chip Bag Lady 

If you ever find yourself eating straight of the bag or box, that is a major bad eating habit! There is no way to keep your portions under control and avoid overeating. Eating out of containers makes it so easy to overeat and most times you'll just end up regretting it. Be proactive and make it a habit to keep measured portions of snacks handy or only eat small portions on small plates. 

 

Meals on Wheels 

One of the most unhealthy eating habits you can have is to eat on the run. If you're the type who likes to eat while you're in the car, while working or walking around, stop now! Stop and savor whatever you're eating or drinking and take a moment to sit. Eating while you're running around is just as bad as eating while you're distracted which could result in overeating. Be conscious of what and how you're eating! 

 

Midnight Snacker

One of the oldest bad eating habits in the book is late night snacking! Ever go out for a girls' night and you're starving from a night of dancing or just stay up late and have an out of control craving? I've definitely been there and done that even though I knew better. If you find yourself in this situation, try drinking water or tea or brush your teeth to test if you're truly hungry. If you are, try nibbling on some fruit or string cheese. 

 

Lost in Emotion 

Eating when you're having a bad day or going through a tough time is definitely an unhealthy eating habit to break. Instead of turning to food try calling a friend or going for a walk. Get in the habit of doing something more productive and healthy to try to cope with what's going on. Eating while you're emotional usually leads to eating junk food in bountiful amounts which is totally unhealthy and won't even make you feel better! 

 

Competitive Eating 

This is I definitely one of the bad eating habits I'm guilty of, I eat way too fast! I had to learn to slow down by putting my utensils down and taking sips of water between bites. When you eat too fast, your brain doesn't indicate that it's full until about 15 minutes into a meal so if you finish your meal before those 15 minutes, you're probably going to eat too much and end up uncomfortably full! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health Tips

The 9 nastiest things in your supermarket

Think pink slime is gross? Wait 'til you see what other unappetizing secrets lurk within your grocery store.

By Rodale NewsThu, Apr 05 2012 

 

 Photo: danieljordahl/Flickr

1. "Pink slime"

The gross factor: The meat industry likes to call it "lean finely textured beef," but after ABC News ran a story on it, the public just called it what it looks like — pink slime, a mixture of waste meat and fatty parts from higher-quality cuts of beef that have had the fat mechanically removed. Afterwards, it's treated with ammonia gas to kill Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. Then it gets added to ground beef as a filler. Food microbiologists and meat producers insist that it's safe, but given the public's reaction to the ABC News report, there's an "ick" factor we just can't overcome. The primary producer of pink slime just announced that it's closing three of the plants where pink slime is produced, and Kroger, Safeway, Food Lion, McDonald's and the National School Lunch Program (among others) have all pulled it from their product offerings.

Eat this instead: Organic ground beef is prohibited from containing pink slime, per National Organic Program standards, so it's your safest bet. If you can't find organic, ask the butcher at your grocery store whether their products contain the gunk.

2. Vet meds in beef

The gross factor: Hankering for a burger? Besides a hefty dose of protein, a 2010 report from the United States Department of Agriculture found your beef could also harbor veterinary drugs like antibiotics, Ivermectin, an animal wormer linked to neurological damage in humans, and Flunixin, an anti-inflammatory that can cause kidney damage, stomach and colon ulcers, and blood in the stool of humans. Still hungry? We didn't think so.

Eat this instead: Look for beef from a local grass-fed beef operation that rotates the animals on fresh grass paddocks regularly, and inquire about medicine use. Typically, cows raised this way are much healthier and require fewer drugs. The meat is also more nutritious, too. If you're in the supermarket, opt for organic meats to avoid veterinary drugs in meat.

3. Heavy metal oatmeal

The gross factor: Sugary and calorie-laden, those convenient instant-oatmeal packets all have one thing in common. They're sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which, according to tests from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, may be contaminated with mercury. The group tested 55 samples of HFCS and found mercury in a third of them at levels three times higher than what the average woman should consume in a day.

Eat this instead: Buy yourself some instant oats, which cook in less time than it takes to microwave a packet of the sugary stuff, and add your own flavorings, like fresh fruit or maple syrup. And buy HFCS-free versions of other foods, as well. The artificial sweetener lurks in seemingly all processed foods.

4. Filthy shrimp

The gross factor: Food safety experts refer to imported shrimp as the dirtiest of the Seafood's Dirty Dozen list, and it's not hard to see why when you consider the common contaminants: Antibiotics, cleaning chemicals used in farmed shrimp pens, residues of toxic pesticides banned in the U.S., and pieces of insects. Less than 2 percent of all imported seafood is inspected — clearly, that's a problem.

Eat this instead: Look for domestic shrimp. Unfortunately, 70 percent of domestic shrimp comes from the Gulf of Mexico, and the recent oil spill may have long-term impacts on its shrimp stocks. But shrimp can be purchased from Texas, the East Coast, Maine and the Carolinas, so you still have options.

5. MRSA in the meat aisle

The gross factor: Hard-to-treat, antibiotic-resistant infections are no joke. Superbug strains like MRSA are on the rise, infecting 185,000 people — and killing 17,000 people — annually in the U.S. Thought to proliferate on factory farms where antibiotics are overused to boost animal growth, a January 2012 study from Iowa State University found that the dangerous organisms wind up in supermarket meat, too. The dangerous MRSA strain lingered in 7 percent of supermarket pork samples tested. The bacteria die during proper cooking, but improper handling could leave you infected. The spike in superbug infections is largely blamed on antibiotic abuse in factory farms that supply most supermarkets.

Eat this instead: The Iowa state researchers found MRSA in conventional meat and store-bought "antibiotic-free" meat likely contaminated at the processing plant. Search LocalHarvest.org to source meat from small-scale producers who don't use antibiotics or huge processing plants.

6. Pregnancy hormones in a can

The gross factor: Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that acts like the hormone estrogen in your body, is used to create the epoxy linings of canned food. What food processors don't tell you is that the chemical was created over 70 years ago as a drug that was intended to promote healthy pregnancies. Though it was never used as a drug, the food industry saw no problem adding this pregnancy drug to a wide range of products, including canned food linings and plastic food containers. "Low levels of BPA exposure has been linked to a wide range of adverse health effects, including abnormal development of reproductive organs, behavior problems in children, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic changes that result in altered insulin levels, which leads to diabetes," says Sarah Janssen, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. And its use in canned food is the number one reason why 90 percent of Americans have it in their bodies.

Eat this instead: Look for products in glass bottles or aseptic cartons. Canned food manufacturers are in the process of switching over to BPA-free cans, but because those cans are produced in facilities that also produce BPA-based can linings, there's no way to keep BPA-free cans from becoming contaminated.

Related on Rodale.com: The breast cancer causer in your cabinet

7. Bacteria-infused turkey

The gross factor: Turkey marinated in MRSA? It's true. A 2011 study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found that half of the U.S. supermarket meat sampled contain staph bacteria, including potentially lethal MRSA. Turkey was the worst offender: Nearly 80 percent of turkey products samples contain staph bacteria. Pork (42 percent) was next in line in terms of bacterial contamination, followed by chicken (41 percent), and beef (37 percent). Researchers ID the overuse of antibiotics as the culprit.

Eat this instead: If you serve meat for Thanksgiving, invest in an organic, pastured turkey, such as one from Ayrshire Farm in Maryland.

8. Moldy berries

The gross factor: If pregnancy hormones in your canned fruit isn't enough to make you turn to fresh, consider this: The FDA legally allows up to 60 percent of canned or frozen blackberries and raspberries to contain mold. Canned fruit and vegetable juices are allowed to contain up to 15 percent mold.

Eat this instead: Go for fresh! When berries are in season, stock up and freeze them yourself to eat throughout the winter. To freeze them, just spread fruits out on a cookie sheet, set the sheet in your freezer for a few hours, then transfer the berries to a glass jar or other airtight, freezer-safe container.

9. Rocket fuel in lettuce

The gross factor: Lettuce is a great source of antioxidants, and thanks to the great state of California, we can now eat it all year long. However, much of the lettuce grown in California is irrigated with water from the Colorado River. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Colorado River water is contaminated with low levels of perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel known to harm thyroid function, and that perchlorate can be taken up inside lettuce plants. A separate study from the Environmental Working Group found perchlorate in 50 percent of store-bought winter lettuce samples.

Eat this instead: Perchlorate is hard to avoid, but some of the highest levels in the country have been found in California's agricultural regions. If you eat locally and in season, you can ask your local farmers whether it’s a problem in their irrigation water supply.

Story by Emily Main and Leah Zerbe. This article originally appeared on Rodale.com and is reprinted here with permission.

 

Health Tips

7 Habits To Better Manage Your Stress Day

Posted on July 17, 2012
YML Staff

I’ve identified these 7 habits for you to better manage your stress now instead of dying from it later. It’s time to give your stress the easy treatment!

Habit # 1 – “Law of 21″

If you follow through with a new mindset for 21 days in a row it will begin to become a habit. That’s right-if you exercise, read, get up early, take vitamins, drink water, etc. for 21 consecutive days, your body and mind will become so accustomed to that behavior it will begin to accept it as a natural habit. That’s when relaxing can become as easy as breathing.

Habit # 2 – “Re-learn to breathe”

Somewhere along the road of higher education, some students forget how to breathe properly. Most people don’t even realize that they generally take quick, shallow breaths until they are so low on air they gasp in an overflow of oxygen. Because you are depriving it of oxygen, this type of breathing forces your brain to work on minimal fuel until the inevitable gush of gasped air comes rushing through.

You must practice these four steps of quiet and focused deep breathing to get your body and mind out of the stress jungle and back into balance:

1) Find a calm place, close your eyes, push all the air into your lungs and out through your mouth. Then focus on fully inhaling through your nose, expanding your belly first and then completely filling your lungs, shoulders pushed back and chest puffed out.

2) As you come to the end of your inhale, pause for about three seconds and feel the fullness of the oxygen in your body. Remember to keep your eyes closed.

3) Don’t “huff-out” the exhale! In a relaxed jaw “hoooooo” position in a controlled manor, gently exhale the air in your lungs through your mouth and keep exhaling until you feel your stomach pull all the way in.Then slowly open your eyes.

4) Repeat this process three to four times. Stop if you begin to feel light headed. This deep-breathing technique will help you to regain your mind/body balance in most any stressful time or situation.

Habit # 3 – “Life isn’t fair…so stop being surprised when it’s not”

It doesn’t matter how privileged or lucky someone else may seem. Everyone pays their “worldly” dues in their own way. It may be hard at times to see past the glaring physical, intellectual or economic advantages that some individuals possess. However, to keep your stress level down remember that every seemingly fortunate person you encounter will eventually have to pay their own “life dues.” Nobody gets away clean! But until that time comes, life isn’t fair. Know that your time is coming soon, and, meanwhile, do the best with what you’ve got.

Habit # 4 – “Get off the radar”

Every so often, intentionally get off your “Life Radar” by leaving your cell phone, computer, watch, and iWhatever at home while you go to a park, see a movie by yourself, visit a bookstore, walk through a museum or catch a sporting event by yourself. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going or how long you’ll be gone. Just go and be by yourself with no distractions, to-do lists or no time-limits. Even if you don’t realize that you have lost your connection, leaving the radar for a bit will rejuvenate you and allow you to re-connect with the big picture.

Habit # 5 – “Choose your battles wisely”

Don’t fight the world. You’ll never win. You’ll never please or beat everyone. Pick your battles and decide which ones are worth your valuable time and energy. Realize that your time and energy are your most precious assets. Do you really want to give them away to every jerk you encounter or any annoyancethat pops up? Letting a “battle” go without a fight is weakness, but rather strength. How truly strong and smart is the person who spends his time yelling and pushing against every force of life, just to eventually turn around and notice how incredibly far behind he’s fallen? It’s sad to realize after spending so much energy fighting something that it’s possible to fall behind someone who simply walked past the battle at the get-go. Don’t let that happen to you. Just let it go.

Habit # 6 – “Stop calling 911 on your life”

Your life isn’t an emergency. No matter how many responsibilities you have or how many tasks you have to get done, life would go on without you for everyone else if you were to die in your sleep tonight. You and your trials and tribulations are not 100% critical to anyone but you. So ease up on yourself. Remember the age-old advice that in 100 years there will be an entirely new set of people on this planet. So why fret so much about what you’re doing now? In a mere 100 years even the greatest achievements of today will be stepping stones to a whole new crop of people.

Habit # 7 – “Choose kindness over self-righteousness”

You can spend your entire life insisting your opinion is the right one, but no one will like you. The more you push your need to be right corresponds to the level of compassion other people won’t have for you. Your opinion on a given issue is just one of many unique opinions. Your opinion is not right or wrong…it’s simply yours, just like everyone else’s opinion. You will be unhappy, stressed-out, and lonely if you can’t accept other people’s opinions along with your own.

About The Author:go to visit Joe DePalma’s website: http://www.ReadySetRise.co

Myths

Top 10 sex myths

RealBuzz – Mon, Oct 31, 2011

 

 

A woman can’t get pregnant when it’s her first time

 

The notion that a woman cannot get pregnant the first time she has sex is still a commonly held belief. In Turkey 25 per cent of young people thought this was true. However, the truth of the matter is that without reliable contraception, pregnancy is possible, whether it is the woman’s first time or her fiftieth time. 

 

I can’t darling, I’ve got a headache

 

Have you ever used the old headache excuse, or been denied some loving action because of one? Well, we have a cure for her sore head because sex has medicinal properties. When women have sex, endormorphins are released into her body, which in turn relieves pain. Therefore getting under the covers should help ease a woman’s headache.   

 

Men always want it

 

Although many men in their late teens and early twenties want a lot of it, men do not always want to have sex. Lots of things affect people’s sex drives; stress being one of the biggest culprits. If you don’t feel like it, there’s nothing wrong with you. On average Briton’s have sex six to seven times per month, whilst American’s on average have sex twice a week.   

 

If you masturbate you run out of semen

 

This is not true. The amount of semen a man ejaculates varies, being between half a teaspoon and a whole teaspoon of fluid. This equates to 40-500 million sperm.  Men who ejaculate a lot in one day may notice that the volume of semen decreases, but there is no risk of you running out of semen, you will simply produce more. 

Older people don’t do it

 

Talking about old people getting frisky can embarrass some people; but let’s face it everyone likes sex, even the granddads and grandmas. Many people think that after the menopause women lose interest in sex, but this is not always true. Many older people enjoy an active sex life beyond the menopause and it has lots of health benefits too. 

 

It’s good to lose your virginity when you are young

Although people are having sex younger, many regret it. The average age to lose your virginity is 16 in the UK. It was 21 in the 1950s. Sixty-three percent of sexually active adolescents wished they had waited longer and eighty-nine percent of those surveyed would advise their own brother, sister or friend not to have sex until at least after finishing secondary school.

 

Thin condoms break

If a condom is your preferred method of contraception, which type do you choose? There are a lot of condoms on the market: ribbed ones, sleek fitting ones, the thin, the thick and the pina colada flavored. Whichever you use, you don’t have to worry about the thickness because Durex reassures us that the thickness of the condom doesn’t necessarily correspond to safety. 

 

We’re all porn stars

Watching two of Hollywood’s finest stars perform a hot love scene is great for getting you in the mood, but it should not be used as a sex guide. Real people do not come every time and last for three hours. Studies show that 75 per cent of men orgasm two to three minutes after penetration and an estimated 30 per cent of women can only achieve orgasm through masturbation.   

 

Men cheat more than women

When you hear that a couple have split up because of an affair it is easy to assume it was the man’s fault, but recent studies suggest that women are much better at keeping their affairs secret. According to Dr David Holmes between eight and 15 per cent of children haven't been fathered by the man who thinks he's the biological parent. 

 

Women don’t ejaculate

 

Not all women ejaculate, but some do. If you have seen women ejaculate during pornography this is not an accurate depiction. In reality, women ejaculate a small amount of fluid, which is a mixture of urine and a liquid from the G-spot (the female equivalent to a prostate). However, most women do not experience ejaculation, so if you don’t, there’s no need to worry.