College Times

Issue date: 7/31/08 Section: Sex

Media Credit: Photos.com

Does sex make you fat?

Seems like an absurd question considering the act tends to be a hot and sweaty one due to the amount of energy put forth and muscles used, but Ritesh Menezes from the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Kasturba Medical College in Mangalore, India, and colleagues suggest "that increased sexual activity may possibly be a causative factor in gaining body weight."

Despite the interjections of many out of breath and sore couples after a romp in the sack, Menezes and his collegues argue that after having sex, especially following orgasm during intercourse, the blood levels of the hormone prolactin rise.

Research has suggested in past studies that an increase in prolactin, as found in humans who suffer from hyperprolactinaemia, can be associated with a high prevalence of obesity.

Arizona State University graduate, Ted Harden, disagrees and believes couples who gain weight do so due to different reasons.

"I think people just start gaining weight in their 20s to 30s. That's just the time that everyone's metabolism starts slowing down. I also believe when you are in a relationship you start to 'let yourself go' in that you aren't as conscious about your appearance as when you are single. Once you are accepted you don't keep as much care of yourself as you should.

"Full time school and work during a relationship is tough. Your schedule doesn't leave much time for working out," Harden says.

But making time for sex - and lots of it - can be the best way to work out according to Kerry McCloskey, author of a book called the "Ultimate Sex Diet" whose beliefs blatantly disagree with those of Menezes.

"The more you have, the more endorphins are released," she told WebMD.com in an article after losing 23 pounds in six months after she got engaged. "Since it's free and so much fun, I've found making love is the ultimate exercise machine."

Laura Berman, a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics-gynecology and psychiatry at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University in Chicago and director and the Berman Center couldn't agree more. She told WebMD it's true, "sex is a good exercise. It gets your heart rate up even if you are not having extremely acrobatic sex. Sex is a form of exercise especially if you incorporate different positions. If you move around a little bit and flex your muscles, it can be a very good exercise."

"Getting to the point where you are highly aroused and reaching orgasm can be good cardiovascular activity. That's why we tell people in poor cardiovascular health to avoid sex."

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