CNN health | A healthy sex life boosts long-term survival hopes for heart attack victims

(CNN) – People who have had heart attacks can boost their chances of long-term survival by returning to normal levels of sexual activity, a new study shows.

Many people stop having sex after a heart attack in the belief that it could trigger another episode, but research published Wednesday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology says sex is good for survival rates.

Researchers followed 495 couples for around 20 years and found that those who maintained or increased their frequency of sexual activity in the first six months after a heart attack had a 35% lower risk of death than those who stopped having sex or reduced their frequency.  —more—