As men age, sexual dysfunction is a common issue.
Though many men suffer from it, few seek help for this condition out of fear of being humiliated, say health experts.
There now may be a way to treat it without visiting your local health clinic, however.
According to new research posted in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, men who exercised moderately for at least 3.5 hours per week were the least likely to have sexual problems as they aged, regardless of their health or ethnicity. It also helped reduce health problems associated with increased sexual dysfunction, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Stephen Freedland, M.D., co-author of the study, explains.
“When it comes to exercise, there is no one-size-fits-all approach,” says Freedland, who also serves as the director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute. “However, we are confident that even some degree of exercise, even if less intense, is better than no exercise at all. Exercise should be tailored for each individual.”
The Research
Examining 295 older men who had previously participated in a prostate cancer trial at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, researchers asked them to self-report their current activity levels and sexual function through a questionnaire. The men were split into groups based on their current rate of exercise, ranging from sedentary to highly active. Researchers converted their exercise levels into metabolic equivalents, better known as METs, to make it easier to categorize them.
Researchers then determined how many of the men had sexual dysfunction problems, such as erectile dysfunction.
By the end of the study, they found a strong correlation–those who moderately exercised at least 3.5 hours per week were the least likely to have sexual dysfunction problems. Those who led a more sedentary lifestyle were the most likely to have problems performing sexually, however.
“Higher exercise was associated with a better sexual function score,” write researchers in the online version of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. “Importantly, there was no interaction between black race and exercise, meaning more exercise was linked with better erectile/sexual function regardless of race. In a racially diverse population, exercise =18 MET hours/week is highly associated with better erectile/sexual function regardless of race.”
As for which exercises are best, this wasn’t determined in the study. Instead, it appears just staying physically active, regardless of what you actually do, matters more.
So if you want to improve your sex life, get moving–exercising at least 30 minutes per day can help you meet the minimum 3.5 hours of exercise found to be effective in this study.
Readers: How often do you exercise? Do you do it on a daily basis? Why or why not?
Sources:
Exercise Linked to Improved Erectile, Sexual Function in Men – ScienceDaily.com
The Association of Exercise with Both Erectile and Sexual Function in Black and White Men (Study) – Wiley.com
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