Doctor: Frequent sex doesn’t reduce prostate cancer risk

A medical doctor, Dr Sam Adegboye, has debunked the claim that frequent sexual activity reduces the risk of prostate cancer in men.

Adegboye is the Assistant Chief Medical Officer and General Practitioner at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Speaking on Sunday, February 9, 2025, Adegboye said most of the neurological articles did not agree with the claims.

He stated: “Most of the neurological articles do not agree with that because one of the journals checked was the American Journal of Neurology. We discovered some bias.

“There is what we call prospective, in which you take the research from now until the future. You know, everything must be evidence-based.

“In a nutshell, I do not think it is supported by neurologists; and there is no concrete evidence to support that, though some traditionalists support it.”

He, however, said there was a test men could do, which is the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.

The doctor further stated: “Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition in which the prostate gland grows larger than normal. It’s also known as benign prostatic hypertrophy or an enlarged prostate.

“BPH means a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland, also commonly referred to as benign prostatic hyperplasia.

“It is a condition where the prostate grows larger than normal, but the growth is not cancerous.

“It often causes urinary difficulties in older men due to the enlarged prostate pressing on the urethra.

“Benign means non cancerous, and prostate is gland in the male reproductive system surrounding the urethra, while hypertrophy is an increase in the size of cells, leading to enlargement of the prostate gland.”

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Adegboye added: “If the prostate gets bigger, it makes one not to pee and it is called urinary obstruction.

“A man does the test to check if there is prostate cancer, and you know benign prostate hyperplasia means the prostate gets big and prevents men from urinating well.

“When the obstruction happens, a doctor has to place a rubber (catheter) into the penis of the man, which assists in bringing out the urine.

“For the PSA, if it is high, it shows a person has prostate cancer or benign prostate hypertrophy.

“BPH does not show that an individual has prostate cancer because several activities can cause hormones to be raised.

“If a man goes for a test and had sex two days before the time, that hormone will give a false reading because it is going to be high; or he does something strenuous, or had surgery done, it might raise the PSA.”

Adegboye said the PSA was not a true representation of prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate.

He stated that one of the tests that could confirm if a patient has prostate cancer was a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

The doctor further noted that the primary causes of prostate cancer in men were aging and an unhealthy diet.

“That is what makes the prostate big. Also, possibly poor diet,” Adegboye said.

He urged men to adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, saying: “Living healthy by eating good foods, eating fruits, sleeping well.

“Not smoking and not taking alcohol or taking the amount recommended for the week, which is 40 units per week, and making sure the person has about two to three days of not taking alcohol.”

The Star