Researchers are playing Santa this season and as an early Christmas gift, have given us six new health-related reasons to have sex every week.

Sex as medication - One or two sessions a week boosts the antibody immunoglobin A in your system by one-third. This in turn strengthens your immune system and makes you less susceptible to catching a cold or the flu.

And you can put away that Advil, because intercourse also may help clear up a migraine due to the release of endorphins and corticosteroids during arousal and orgasm.

If those health benefits weren't enough, reasearchers at Columbia and Stanford found that women who have sex a minimum of once a week (except during their period) found their mesntrual cycle was more regulated than those who didn't.

Sex as part of your beauty regimen - Sex an average four times per week may help you look younger. At least that's what researchers from the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland found when a panel of judges viewed study participants in a mirror to guess their ages. Those guessed to be seven to 12 years younger than their actual age were the ones getting the most action. Sex helps boost estrogen levels in woman, which leads to shinier hair and more supple skin.

Sex as exercise - Hitting the sheets burns a little more than four calories each minute. You may not want to replace regular workouts on the treadmill with this method, but it's definitely something to incorporate as bonus exercise.

Sex used to decrease the effects of aging - You may save on Depends in the future. Women need to keep their pelvic muscles strong as they age to avoid unfortunate accidents. These muscles are the same used during intercourse and need to be used frequently to reap the benefits.

As we mentioned a couple of days ago, play it safe and always use adequate protection, but by all means, take these results to your uninformed partner and enlighten them on the benefits of doing the horizontal polka.

» Newsweek Health