Staying Healthy Boosts 'Sexual Life Expectancy'

The average person's sex life is history by the time they're 70, but "sexual life expectancy" can be extended if people stay in good health, a new study says. Researchers looked at surveys involving thousands of elderly people and found that older people in better health were nearly twice as likely to be interested in sex, although men reported both longer-lived and more satisfying sex lives, notes HealthDay.

"At age 55, men have, on average, 15 years of sexually active life expectancy and women about 11 years," says the lead researcher. "Men who are in excellent or good health gain an additional five to seven years. What this says is that men benefit more from good health. Men in poor health lose more years of sexually active life expectancy than do women." (More sex stories.)