HAD a wild youth between the sheets? You may be at greater risk of getting cancer.
A new study from the UK suggests a history of ten or more lifetime sexual partners is linked to an increased risk of being diagnosed with cancer.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University found significant difference between the number of sexual partners and cancer risk, with women who reported having 10 or more 91 per cent more likely to have been diagnosed with cancer
Women with a higher number of sexual partners were also more likely to have a lifetime chronic condition.
Men with 10 or more partners were 69 per cent more likely to have a cancer diagnosis.
Researchers made the observation using results from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a nationally representing tracking study of adults over 50 living in England, conducted in 2012-13.
They found in both sexes, a higher number of sexual partners was associated with younger age, single status, and being in the highest or lowest brackets of household wealth.
Those who reported a higher tally of sexual partners were also more likely to smoke, drink frequently, and do more vigorous physical activity on a weekly basis.
Researchers couldn't establish a cause because it was an observational study however, their findings correlate with previous studies that implicate sexually transmitted infections in the development of several types of cancer and hepatitis.
The research was published in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health.