Sexual activity may help protect mothers from the effects of chronic stress on metabolic health

A new study suggests that sexual activity may help protect individuals from the metabolic consequences of chronic stress. The research, published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, examined the stress-buffering effects of sexual activity in mothers caring for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The results indicate that sexually active mothers had healthier levels of key metabolic hormones compared to their sexually inactive counterparts.

Chronic stress is known to cause significant changes in the brain and body, leading to various health problems, including disruptions in metabolic regulation. This can lead to long-term problems such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Previous research has indicated that physical activity can help alleviate these effects.

However, the role of other lifestyle factors, such as sexual activity, has been less explored. Given the powerful stress-relieving effects of sexual activity, researchers sought to determine whether it could serve as a buffer against the negative metabolic impacts of chronic stress.

“Given the deleterious consequences that chronic stress can have on metabolic health, it is crucial to explore protective factors. As a relationship researcher, I am particularly interested in how various aspects of our relationship experiences might play such a protective role,” explained study author Yoobin Park, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at San Francisco.

“Sexual activity has emerged as a promising candidate due to its anti-stress effects and its positive impact on processes such as sleep, which can suffer from stress and in turn cause metabolic problems. To our knowledge, no previous work has examined whether sexual activity can buffer the biological effects of stress. This research was therefore exploratory in nature and aimed to fill this gap.

The researchers focused on mothers of children with ASD, who experience higher levels of chronic stress than mothers of typically developing children. The study included 183 women aged 20 to 50, with at least one child aged 2 to 16. These women were divided into high-stress and low-stress groups based on whether or not they had a child diagnosed with ASD and their scores on the perceived stress scale.

Participants underwent assessments at four different time points: baseline, 9 months, 18 months, and 24 months. During these assessments, participants completed clinic visits and 7-day diary studies. The researchers focused on data from the 18- and 24-month follow-ups because those were the only times with questions about sexual activity.

Sexual activity was measured by asking participants daily whether they had had sex the previous night. Those who reported sexual activity at least once during each diary period were considered sexually active. The final analysis included 101 participants who were consistently sexually active or inactive during the study weeks.

The study measured several key metabolic indicators, including insulin, insulin resistance, leptin and ghrelin. Blood samples were taken during morning fasting visits to assess these hormones. Additionally, the researchers considered other variables such as physical activity and relationship satisfaction to see if they overlapped with the effects of sexual activity.

The results showed significant differences in metabolic health between high-stress and low-stress mothers. Highly stressed mothers had higher levels of insulin and insulin resistance and lower levels of ghrelin than low-stress mothers. However, these differences were notably influenced by sexual activity.

Among sexually inactive mothers, the high-stress group had significantly worse metabolic outcomes than the low-stress group. In contrast, sexually active mothers did not show significant differences in their metabolic profiles based on their stress levels. This suggests that sexual activity may buffer the detrimental metabolic effects of chronic stress, helping to maintain healthier insulin and ghrelin levels.

The researchers also examined the potential overlap of these effects with physical activity and relationship satisfaction. Vigorous exercise was found to have similar stress-relieving effects on insulin and insulin resistance, but light and moderate exercise did not show these benefits. In contrast, relationship satisfaction did not have a significant influence on metabolic outcomes, highlighting the unique role of sexual activity in this context.

“In a nutshell, our results suggest that the detrimental effects of stress on metabolic health were significantly reduced in those who were sexually active,” Park told PsyPost. “This raises two important questions: a) whether these benefits are due to the broader benefits of being physically active, given that sexual activity involves moderate energy expenditure, and b) whether they reflect the general benefits of being a good relationship.”

“Regarding (a), we also asked participants about their daily physical activity and tested this as a potential buffer. Our results showed that although physical activity had similar buffering effects, these effects were independent of the benefits of sexual activity. Regarding (b), although people who were highly satisfied with their relationships were indeed more likely to be sexually active, overall relationship satisfaction (measured as a daily average) did not emerge as a significant buffer against stress-related disadvantages. , unlike sexual activity. »

“So overall, although we need more research to understand the precise mechanisms by which sexual activity protects against the detrimental effects of stress on metabolic health, our results suggest that the benefits of being sexually active go beyond just being generally active or being in a state of happiness. relationship,” Park explained.

Although the study provides evidence for the stress-relieving effects of sexual activity, it also has several limitations. The assessment of sexual activity was binary and did not take into account the diversity of sexual experiences. Future research should use more detailed measures to capture the nuances of sexual activities and their varying effects on stress and metabolism.

“It’s important that we look at a specific type of chronic stress (maternal caregiving stress) and specific health outcomes (metabolic hormones),” Park noted. “We need more research in this area to better understand the mechanisms underlying the benefits of sex and to understand the generalizability of its protective effects. »

The study, “Maternal Care Stress and Metabolic Health: Sexual Activity as a Potential Buffer,” was authored by Yoobin Park, Michael A. Coccia, Aric A. Prather and Elissa S. Epel.