Scientists discover how many times men should have sex per year to greatly reduce risk of heart disease

For the benefit of your heart, you might need to start getting more active in the bedroom, according to new research.

Taking care of our bodies is crucial and necessary for everyone, but not everyone ties that into sexual frequency.

A recent study has suggested men should be having quite a lot of sex to help significantly reduce the risk of heart disease in later life.

Expert scientists from China, concluded that men who engage in sexual activity more often are less likely to suffer from heart disease.

Sex is good for the body in a whole host of ways (Getty Stock Image)

The reasoning was tied to the fact that engaging in sexual activity gets the heart pumping, improves circulation, and helps reduce stress, all things that are great for the heart.

The researchers noted in the Journal of Scientific Reports last December that it is important to consider sexual activity as a useful indicator of overall health.

The authors said: "Those with either excessively high or low frequencies should pay attention to the situation and seek medical attention if necessary."

Scientists from Qingdao University analyzed several studies which involved 17,243 US adults to see how sex affects heart health and longevity.

After nearly nine years, they found that men who had sex less than 12 times a year had higher risks of heart disease and early death.

Men that have sex about 103 times a year had a lower risk. This works out to roughly twice a week. They did note that having less sex, 52 times a year, can still offer health benefits.

Having sex regularly might be doing more good for your heart than you might think (Getty Stock Image)

Dr Alexis Missick, who works with UK Meds, emphasized the many ways sex is beneficial and said: "Never mind the ways in which sex may be good for your heart in terms of love, intimacy and emotions; sex is quite literally good for your heart."

However don’t start patting yourself on the back just yet if you exceed these numbers, because the researchers also looked at the detrimental effects too much sex could have on your heart.

They considered too much sex to be more than once a day and found there were some eventual downsides.

They wrote: "It’s often overlooked that sexual activity itself constitutes a form of physical activity and aerobic exercise.

"Despite the well-established benefits of moderate physical activity, evidence suggests there may be a point of diminishing returns.

"In fact, high levels of aerobic exercise may detract from the significant health benefits observed with moderate levels."

So pretty much all things in moderation.