“More Partners, More Cancer? The Shocking Study That Made Us Think Twice About Our Love Life”
Can your flirty history be a cancer warning sign? A fresh study from a coalition of researchers in Canada, Vienna, Italy, the UK, and Turkey says maybe it can. They mined the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a large survey of 2,537 men and 3,185 women over 50 living in England, to see if the number of lovers ever swayed cancer risk.
How the Numbers Were Broken Down
- Zero–one partners
- Two–four partners
- Five–nine partners
- 10 or more partners
Participants also answered questions about their overall health, chronic conditions, age, ethnicity, marital status, income, smoking habits, exercise levels and mood.
Results That’ll Make You Rethink Your Dating Apps
- Men with 2–4 partners were 57% more likely to have a cancer diagnosis than those with just one or none.
- Men with 10+ partners faced a 69% higher chance of cancer.
- Women with 10+ partners had a staggering 91% higher cancer risk compared to those with zero or one partner.
- Women with 5–9 or 10+ partners were 64% more likely to have a chronic condition that bothered their daily life—an effect not seen in men.
For both sexes, having more partners was linked to being younger, single, in top or bottom income brackets, smoking, drinking often, and doing vigorous workouts.
What the Researchers Say
Since the study is observational, it can’t prove “causes” so friendly – just “correlations.” The team noted that previous work suggests sexually transmitted infections (STIs) may play a role in certain cancers and hepatitis. They also admitted the gender differences in long‑term conditions are still a puzzle, especially because men tend to have more partners, while women are more likely to visit a doctor when they feel under the weather.
Bottom line? If your love life can tell you something about your health, it might be time to take a closer look at those past pickups.
