Reporting on Masturbation-Cancer Link Is Wrong
Recent reporting you may have read on the health effects of masturbation is wrong. I don't mean morally; I mean journalistically. PlanetOut reported on Monday that "BBC News reported on Wednesday" that masturbating frequently may reduce a man's risk of prostate cancer. Masturbating may or may not affect one's cancer risk, but the only BBC report I can find on the subject is dated July 16, 2003—and it contains statistics that are identical to those cited by PlanetOut. (For what it's worth, that day was indeed a Wednesday, according to this online tool.)
Moreover, the Australian organization named by both news outlets, the Cancer Council Victoria, does not appear to have any recent press release on masturbation or ejaculation, though it does have one dating to July 2003. (A phone call to the Cancer Council, placed at 4:27 a.m. local time, went unanswered.) A search of PubMed.gov, a database of published medical studies, turned up only one study about ejaculation (and one letter to an editor) coauthored by Graham Giles, the researcher quoted by PlanetOut.
A staff member at the Advocate who claimed to have written the PlanetOut.com story (the publications share an owner and some of their content) double-checked her source at a reporter's request and confirmed that the BBC report on which she had based her article dated from 2003.
In a brief news report, FoxNews.com appears to have perpetuated the error, citing PlanetOut as its source and further stating: "Researchers told the BBC last week that the prostate produces one of the fluids involved in ejaculation and that frequent masturbation appears to flush out carcinogens." No such report could be found on BBC.co.uk.
Of course, none of this sleuthing answers the real question: Does masturbating protect men against developing prostate cancer? Please tell me what you think, especially if it's informed by research that's more recent than 2003.
Tags: cancer | media | prostate cancer
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Reader Comments
good follow up
shows Fox News is just rehashing old stuff without checking to see
if it's current. But like you say, the study from 2003 is what needs to
be 'studied' to see if it was done properly. A 1/3rd reduction of risk is
certainly significant.
Reporting on Masturbation-Cancer Link Is Wrong
So, what has changed since 2003 that makes this report "wrong" ? If you read the BBC article on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3072021.stm you see that it was a serious study, with plausible arguments and conclusions. You don't have to "think harder" to conclude that masturbation is a lot healthier than promiscuity, whatever your "moral or journalistic" opinion, both of which seem irrelevant.
Men's Prostate Health Is In Their Own Hands
If this story goes on Hardball with Chris Mathews I will believe it.
If there is a chance it's true, men should take their health into their own hands and at least try and reduce the risk. Worst case, you have thirty seconds of enjoyment and stress reduction.
Preventing cancer can lead to Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
Yes by actively trying to prevent prostate cancer I now suffer from Carpel tunnel.
Preventing cancer can lead to Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
Yes by actively trying to prevent prostate cancer I now suffer from Carpel tunnel.
A bonus
Spanking the monkey is fun.
If it happens to have a health benefit(s). Great!!
So they are re-hashing old news, maybe some guy somewhere will hear it for the first time and save his life.
From the blogger
I've posted follow-up reports on all this "news" about masturbation and prostate cancer here and here. The first link describes the latest research, and the second tasks eFluxMedia to task for referring to the 2003 study as "the latest study."
big assumption?
What about the role of hormones? Maybe the men had higher testosterone levels and that is what conferred the protective effect. Many potential flaws in the study method and interpretation here that aren't even being discussed.
Geez...picky pricks ain't ya?
What in ejaculate could have changed in the last 5 years?
Masturbation - Cancer Link
I think Ben Harder is a great name for Masturbation Investigator. Does your first name happen to be Woody by any chance?
Related News
You asked what might have changed in the last five years to prompt this article. I would guess it's a good bet that someone in PlanetOut's editorial line of command was diagnosed with, was treated for, or died of prostate cancer. Or someone close to one of those people did.
In my experience as a sex writer with an older readership, if the person in question was treated for prostate cancer then chances are about 50/50 that either he or his partner has spent quite a lot of time online trying to figure out if they'll ever be able to have sex again. Because most prostate-cancer therapy damages the body's ability to have an erection and many eliminate the possibility of erection, or ejaculation, or even plain old bladder control.
And when you're in that situation -- where you or your partner is going to live but you're facing the prospect of never having sex again *and* you're in journalism -- and you discover that something as counterintuitive as frequent ejaculation might have reduced your risk by up to a third, then yeah, you're probably going to mention it. Loudly. Even if by journalism standards it's old news.
(Quick comparison: how long ago was green tea and/or tomato sauce linked to reductions in prostate cancer? How often has corroborating research been undertaken and when was the most recent report released? How significant was the health benefit of those products? How many times in the last year has someone in journalism promoted the health benefit of those projects?)
Surprising lack of research
One 5 year old study by wankers in Australia doesn't mean a thing.
Most will claim that 99% of men masturbate, if that's the cae, and the study is true, then why is there any prostate cancer at all????
I'm surprised more masturbation research si not available. I'm sure there would be a lot of volunteers.
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masturbation-cancer link
You're right. Back in 2003, that would be masturbation in the 1990s, used to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, but now a days, what with PBAs and such it's probably no longer true.
Apr 23, 2008 17:30:30 PM [permalink] [report comment]