The former Liberal Party leader was found dead from a heart attack in a hotel room in 1987 with all signs pointing to a sexual tryst as the cause of death.
Now science has backed this up, with US researchers finding frequent, enjoyable sex can improve an older woman’s health – but lead to a heart attack for her male partner.
Meanwhile sex in later life is great for women!
The study, which looked at the impact of regular sexual activity on health for both genders later in life, analysed data from 2,204 people aged 57 to 85.
Men get stiff end of the deal
It found older men who had sex once a week or more were at much higher risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems five years later than men who were sexually inactive.
Why?
Study author Associate Professor Hui Liu put this down to older men suffering more sexual problems which may in turn put more stress on their health, as well as lower testosterone levels and the supplements used to treat sexual function.
But for older women, it was a different story – female participants who reported “extremely physically satisfying and/or extremely emotionally satisfying” sex had lower blood pressure in the next five years, compared to women who weren’t as happy with sex.
A case of women coming out on top?