Doctors have hammered for years on the twin pillars of diet and exercise for a healthier life, but often feel ignored. But what if it could improve your sex life?
A Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study suggests just that — simple changes in nutrition and exercise could improve male sexual function.
“The associations of erectile dysfunction with diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors may serve as powerful motivators for men who need to make changes in their diet and lifestyle,” the study’s lead author Elizabeth Selvin said in a statement. Selvin also serves as faculty member in the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology.
More than 18 million adult men in the United States suffer from erectile dysfunction, according to the study, published in the Feb. 1 issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
The study strongly linked erectile dysfunction with age, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and a lack of physical activity. Researchers found increased physical activity and measures that prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes may prevent impotence.
“Physicians should be aggressive in screening and managing middle-aged and older patients for erectile dysfunction, especially among patients with diabetes or hypertension,” Selvin said.
The research team studied data from 2,126 men who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2005. Men who reported being “sometimes” or “never able” to get or maintain an erection were categorized as having erectile dysfunction.
Nearly half of all men in the study with diabetes also had erectile dysfunction. Almost 90 percent of those reporting dysfunction had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease — including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and smoking.
Men with erectile dysfunction also reported they were less physically active in the month before their interview.
Hopkins researchers previously linked impotence in diabetics to one particular simple sugar, present in increased levels in their blood. This sugar interferes with the chain of events needed to achieve and maintain erection and can lead to permanent penile impairment over time.
Treating erectile dysfunction
» Avoid nicotine, alcohol, and other drugs.
» Some prescription medication may cause impotence.
» Psychological counseling may be recommended when an emotional or psychological cause is identified.
» Testosterone injections or skin patches are given if blood testosterone levels are low.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
