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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, according to CNN reported.

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.

The people who survived were less likely to die from conditions such as cancer.

While sudden physical exertion, such as having sex, can trigger a heart attack, the long-term risk of heart problems is reduced by regular physical activity, the researchers said.

The 495 patients were aged 65 years or under and hospitalized for their first heart attack in 1993. Their average age was 53 and 90% of them were men.

Researchers found that after 22 years, 211 patients, or 43% of the total participants, had died.
They then adjusted for factors such as obesity, physical activity and socioeconomic status to determine the difference in risk of death between the two groups, and found that the survival benefit "was mostly attributable to a reduction in non-cardiovascular mortality such as cancer" -- ie, the people in the group who died had mainly fallen victim to conditions other than heart disease.