For decades there has been a great debate on just how much masturbation mattered to prostate health. How many times did a man have to ejaculate to be assured of the best prostate health, including avoiding the dreaded prostate cancer? Some men swore that regular masturbation was a part of proper penis care and had a great impact on prostate health, while others said that it didn’t matter one way or the other.

But that’s what research into masturbation and prostate health is all about - to take these great debates and figure out, once and for all, what a man needs to do to keep his body working at the optimum level that Nature intended. To that end, a group of brave researchers studied equally brave men to learn just how much ejaculation mattered to their health. Here’s what they discovered.

Masturbation matters to prostate health

The study, conducted by the Boston University of Public Health, looked at the health habits of men aged 20 through 29, then followed those men for the next 18 years. They asked men to report how often they ejaculated each month in addition to following their physical health changes over that almost two-decade period.

The results were clear: Men who ejaculated at least 21 times each month were 19 percent less likely to deal with prostate cancer than those who ejaculated only about 7 times per month. In addition, the benefits seemed to ramp up the older a man got - those who were between the ages of 40 to 49 who ejaculated at least 21 times per month lowered their prostate cancer risk by 22 percent.

Researchers believe that the effects were the result of clearing the prostate. Though the occasional ejaculation will help, to truly clear the prostate, a man should aim to ejaculate at least once every few days. As the prostate clears, the chance of infection setting in is reduced.

It doesn’t matter whether a man masturbates or gets it on with a partner, as long as the end result is the same: Ejaculation. Though some men might want to ‘hold off’ for a few days in order to have a more intense explosion, those who do try this might want to make up for the lost ejaculations by fitting in more than one a day for a while. The creative man will certainly find enjoyable ways to do so!

In other good news, some studies have shown that just as masturbation and prostate health go hand-in-hand, so does masturbation and testicular cancer risk. Though there is no conclusive study (yet) that makes it clear frequent ejaculations make a difference in the rate of testicular cancer, it stands to reason that the more a man ejaculates and keeps things moving down there, the more likely he is to eliminate the toxins that might build up in the body over time. And anything that helps keep a man healthy - all while feeling very good! - is a great thing.

Ensuring great penis health

Men who are serious about their reproductive health will want to take things a step further and practice the best penis care. In order to do this, a high-quality penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) is just what the doctor ordered. Look for a cream that includes alpha lipoic acid, which combats the free radicals that can lead to health problems, as well as acetyl L carnitine, a neuroprotective that works synergistically with alpha lipoic acid to reverse damage to cell mitochondria and improve function on a cellular level. Combine those wonder ingredients with heavy-duty vitamins and apply them all with a high-end Shea butter emollient, and a man has the recipe for good penis health.