# Fighting prostate cancer one tug at a time. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584 "2008-04-23T19:21:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/1 "2008-04-23T19:21:10Z")
[Link.](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352278,00.html) I know I’ve been doing my best to keep _my_ prostate healthy! ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/2 "2008-04-23T19:53:35Z")
The downside is, you’ll go blind. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/3 "2008-04-23T19:59:33Z")
So, is it just that, or does the real thing help, too? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/4 "2008-04-23T20:00:23Z")
I will live _FOREVER_. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/5 "2008-04-23T20:01:39Z")
“More than five times a week.” Hmmm. Lucy, let the client know I’ll be taking a half-day on Friday… ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/6 "2008-04-23T20:04:29Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] So, is it just that, or does the real thing help, too? [/QUOTE] They say that intercourse mitigates the benefit because of the risk of STD’s. I’m doing my part to keep my prostate healthy. Although to be honest I would still do it even if they said it caused prostate cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/7 "2008-04-23T20:10:28Z")
Well it’s funny how all the old medical literature used to go into how debilitating it was. Young men were going to waste from the perfidious activity. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/8 "2008-04-23T20:19:17Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] They say that intercourse mitigates the benefit because of the risk of STD’s. I’m doing my part to keep my prostate healthy. Although to be honest I would still do it even if they said it caused prostate cancer. [/QUOTE] Well if you are in a stable relationship this is probably not much of a risk, and the frequent ejaculation flushing out carcinogens is the key, regardless of actual stimulus. I am off home to ask my wife if she can help out with my new ‘Healthy Prostate, Happy husband’ program. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/9 "2008-04-23T22:04:48Z")
Hmmm, I read about a study … gosh, it must have been 20 or more years ago … that showed a high incidence of enlarged prostates and other prostate problems among Roman Catholic priests. I drew my own conclusion from that. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/10 "2008-04-23T22:15:47Z")
[QUOTE=Sunrazor] Hmmm, I read about a study … gosh, it must have been 20 or more years ago … that showed a high incidence of enlarged prostates and other prostate problems among Roman Catholic priests. [/QUOTE] Yet the prostates of former altar boys are surprisingly normal. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/11 "2008-04-24T02:14:42Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] Yet the prostates of former altar boys are surprisingly normal. [/QUOTE] If not a little bruised. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/12 "2008-04-24T02:36:55Z")
Heh. Reminds me of this joke: The queen of England was visiting one of America’s top hospitals, and during her tour of the floors she passed a room where a male patient was masturbating. “Oh my god!”, said the Queen, “That’s disgraceful, what is the meaning of this???” The doctor leading the tour explains, “I’m sorry Your Highness, this man has a very serious condition where the testicles rapidly fill with semen. If he doesn’t do that five to ten times a day, they would burst and he would most likely die instantly.” “Oh, I am terribly sorry” said the Queen. On the next floor they passed a room where a young nurse was giving a patient a blow job. “Oh my God”, said the Queen, “What’s happening in there?” The Doctor replied, “Same problem, better health plan.” ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/13 "2008-04-24T02:42:53Z")
I masturbate all the time to keep my prostate healthy. As a woman I feel the health of my prostate is one of the most important issues I will face in my future. Okay, so I don’t have a prostate, I just like touching myself and would like to have some kind of health benefit for it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/14 "2008-04-24T02:52:31Z")
Why is this news? There was a report saying exactly the same thing [back in 2003](http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3942-masturbating-may-protect-against-prostate-cancer.html). As a matter of fact, the article you linked with seems to be using the same data (just rounded): > [@Current article](#): > > The study surveyed 1,000 men who developed prostate cancer and 1,250 who did not, and all were between the ages of 20 and 50. > [@Article from 2003](#): > > A team in Australia led by Graham Giles of The Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne asked 1079 men with prostate cancer to fill in a questionnaire detailing their sexual habits, and compared their responses with those of 1259 healthy men of the same age. The team concludes that the more men ejaculate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to develop prostate cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/15 "2008-04-24T15:25:18Z")
So. _This_ is what it takes to convince the Straight Dope that Fox News is a credible source of information. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/16 "2008-04-24T16:00:08Z")
> [@](#): > > A team in Australia led by Graham Giles of The Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne asked 1079 men with prostate cancer to fill in a questionnaire detailing their sexual habits Scanning past this I read that as “sexual **hobbits** ” and went to a very bad place. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/17 "2008-04-24T16:15:40Z")
[QUOTE=NaturalBlondChap] , and the frequent ejaculation flushing out carcinogens is the key, [/QUOTE] Great, now I’m giving carcinogens to my sheets, my towels, the walls,my girlfriend’s body parts, the shower drain, the sink, the computer monitor, the mailbox, the door knob of the grocery store bathroom, the coffee pot at the office, the role of $1 bills I give to the homeless, and my roommate’s leftovers. Too bad I’m too tired to do anything about it. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/18 "2008-04-24T16:18:24Z")
_“Researchers told the BBC last week that the prostate produces one of the fluids involved in ejaculation and that frequent masturbation appears to flush out carcinogens.”_ Next week’s headline: Researchers have determined that smoking spooje may cause cancer. ETA: Ah, beaten to the punch. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/19 "2008-04-24T16:22:23Z")
[QUOTE=Flander] the role of $1 bills I give to the homeless [/QUOTE] How in the hell do you find actors to play $1 bills to give to the homeless? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584/20 "2008-04-24T16:24:25Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Next week’s headline: Researchers have determined that smoking spooje may cause cancer. /QUOTE] If your spooje is smoking after you masturbate, I think you should go see your doctor straight away. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-prostate-cancer-one-tug-at-a-time/446584.md?page=2)