Toronto, Jan 9 (IANS): If having pleasure can help you stay healthy then what could be better than this!

Scientists from the University of Quebec in Canada have found that sexual activities can be significantly effective in burning calories when compared to moderate intensity exercises.

To prove their point, they picked 21 couples aged between 18 and 35 and asked them to have sex once a week for 30 days.

They were asked to have sex in their natural style without taking any drug and alcohol or medication for erectile dysfunction, said the study published in the journal PLOS ONE.

After every sexual activity, they were given a questionnaire to record their enjoyment.
It was found that women burned 3.1 calories a minute while having sex, whereas men burned 4.2 calories a minute.

"It indicates that energy consumption during sexual activity appears to be nearly 85 kCal or 3.6 kCal/min and appears to be performed at a moderate intensity - 5.8 metabolic equivalent of task (MET) - in young healthy men and women," said lead author Julie Frappier.

MET is a unit used to estimate the amount of oxygen used by the body during physical activity.

During sex, the authors recorded 6.0 METS in men and 5.6 METS in women, which represents a 'moderate intensity’ activity - roughly equivalent to cycling or playing doubles tennis, claimed the study.

Unsurprisingly, almost all participants found sex a more pleasurable activity than treadmill and 81 percent said they felt high levels of personal pleasure from undertaking sexual activity.

“This study could have implications for the planning of intervention programmes as part of a healthy lifestyle by health care professionals,” the study said.