Having a satisfying sex life is linked to everything from better heart health to more satisfactory relationship health. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a serious condition that affects many men when it comes to having a good sex life. Certainly, there are many risk factors for ED. Nonetheless, research implies being overweight or obese may also be a significant threat to ED.
In this article, we’ll examine the connection between erectile dysfunction and obesity + therapy options that can help improve weight-related ED, + the effect of obesity on female sexuality.
Table of Contents
Relationship Between Overweight and Sex Drive
Globally, obesity impacts more than 1.9 billion adults [1]. Obesity is when you have excess body fat or, more precisely, a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30. Being obese involves difficulties with sex drive, desire, & performance.
Your sex drive can be heavily influenced by your body weight. Also, your sexual execution & desire can depend heavily on how you feel about yourself. Being overweight can direct to a depleting sex drive.
Some ways your libido may be affected by your weight include:
- hormonal changes: A boost in body weight can direct to an increase in sex hormone-binding globulin, which induces the sex hormone testosterone to drop, hence influencing sex drive;
- body image problems: How you perceive yourself undoubtedly has a lot to do with how you execute sexually;
- obesity & ED in men: Obesity lowers testosterone in men, hence triggering a decrease in sex drive. This can periodically direct to ED;
- inability to a climax: Being overweight can correspondingly narrow down the blood vessels which facilitate the blood flow to the genitals. Hence, without proper blood flow, men & women face problems in reaching a climax. This can frequently direct to a depleting sex drive;
- limited sex positions which can destroy your sex drive;
- physical activities & regular exercise: Such actions can improve your sex drive.
Certainly, the more body fat you have, the higher your levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). It binds to the sex hormone testosterone. The more testosterone that’s bound to SHBG, the less there is available to elicit desire.
Obesity and Erectile Dysfunction in Men
Impotence is often chronic & can be a manifestation of more serious health issues. Indeed, carrying around extra weight can double the probability of experiencing impotence. There may be several ways to demonstrate this added threat. Some causes comprise inflammation, other health disorders, & hormone issues linked with being obese.
Excess weight can induce many issues for the cardiovascular system. Overweight individuals have a high level of inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation can undoubtedly extend to the lining of the blood vessels, inducing them to narrow & restrict blood flow. Besides, being fat makes the heart function harder to pump blood throughout the body, which adds stress to your entire cardiovascular system.
The impact? It could lower the amount of blood flow to the penis, hence making it harder to get an erection. Being obese can also lead to health issues that may boost the risk for ED [2]. For instance, heart disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis, & high cholesterol.
Overweight and Sexual Function in Women
Being overweight may direct to lessened sexual desires in women. Obese women may experience social stigmatization, prejudice & discrimination because of their weight. Insufficient self-esteem & body image impact overall sexuality. Besides, overweight females may feel like sexual misfits, unattractive & undesirable, forcing them to bypass probable or actual sexual relationships.
Weight loss boosts libido in obese women. There is a preference for obese females to be inferior to their lean counterparts in terms of occurrence of arousal, capability to reach orgasm, & occurrence of unprovoked desire to have intercourse [3].
The Effect of Weight Loss on Sexual Function
First, remember that issues with sexual identity & function are typical in both obese and non-obese individuals. If overweight & have ED, we recommend losing weight as part of your ED therapy plan. Weight loss can correct sexual function for many men. One study examined the effects of weight loss on ED [4]. In the analysis, some men were indeed treated with a weight loss program, while others weren’t.
The weight loss group certainly lost on average about 15 percent of their body weight over a two-year time, & one-third of the men retrieved erectile function after losing weight. By disparity, only 5% of the men who didn’t lose weight recuperated from their impotence.
How to Increase Sex Drive?
Below are the tips you can use to improve your sex drive.
Weight Loss
There is a healthy way to lose weight & ultimately keep those extra pounds off. You may require to quit smoking, improve the amount of aerobic exercise you do, lessen stress levels, or eat more heart-healthy meals. Losing as few as 10 pounds (4.54 kg) can frequently free up testosterone & almost instantly give a boost to your love life.
Eat Healthily
Making diet changes – e.g., following a low-fat diet & eating lots of fruit + vegetables – that aid gets blood sugar & cholesterol under control can indeed aid turn your sex drive around – even if you don’t lose weight.
Most weight loss agendas comprise decreasing the number of calories you eat, supplementing the amount of physical exercise you get & altering what you eat to aid you in feeling more energized & ultimately fuller longer.
Have Quality Exercise
Exercise boosts libido [5]. Physical activity serves to enhance sex drive & comprises positive body self-image, ameliorated cardiovascular health & mood, augmented sympathetic nervous system activity, & advancement of one’s endocrine system.
Lifestyle Changes
Healthy habits + lifestyle changes can boost libido, ameliorate sex life, & possibly aid address issues such as ED & female sexual dysfunction. Sexual arousal & function are indeed dependent on a healthy cardiovascular system + exemplary overall health. In this regard, men & women can enhance their sex lives by keeping a healthy lifestyle. Just quit smoking, lessen stress, get more sleep, limit alcohol consumption, & consume less caffeine.
Sexual Therapy
There are numerous sex therapies for non-overweight individuals that can be used for overweight people. Programs may comprise improving sexual communication & sexual assertiveness. It’s also essential to address how your partner judges your weight, as this may provoke strain in your relationship.
Oral Meds
Sometimes ED is persistent even after making lifestyle changes. Several meds may function well for you. ED tabs like Viagra (sildenafil) & Cialis (tadalafil) are common options for treating impotence. These are PDE5 inhibitors, which aid to relax the blood vessels directing to the penis to permit more blood flow.
Another option is PT-141 peptide therapy. It provides you with the PT-141 amino acid that impacts your nervous system & boosts arousal + sexual desire in the brain. Indeed, for persistent impotence that doesn’t react to phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors or PT-141 treatment, more & more men have been mixing weight loss meds (e.g., Phentermine) with ED remedies, such as Viagra. We urge Phentermine and Viagra mix because clinical studies depict that there aren’t interactions between them. Most men who mix these two meds simply desire to combat ED & obesity at the same time.
Viagra’s function makes it more comfortable for blood to flow to the penis & produce an erection. They do this by hindering the effects of the PDE5 enzyme, which regulates blood flow to the tissue of your penis. As a PDE5 inhibitor, it thwarts PDE5 from functioning.
Conclusion
Obesity hurts sex drive & contributes to ED. Nonetheless, influential management of obesity using lifestyle changes, exercise, drugs, diet, behavioral therapies, &, periodically, weight loss surgery may direct to improvements in self-esteem, quality of life, & sexuality. Losing weight has enhanced erectile function & augmented sexual experiences along with boosting overall health.
References
- Obesity, mental health, and sexual dysfunction: A critical review. By Saeideh Botlani Esfahani and Sebely Pal. Published: July 12, 2018. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- The Link Between Obesity and Erectile Dysfunction. By Michelle C. Brooten-Brooks. Published: September 30, 2021. Medically reviewed by Rochelle Collins. Verywellhealth.com.
- Can obesity affect female sexuality? By Younis I., Abdelrahman, S. H., Abdelfattah, M. I., and Al-Awady M. A. Published: December 2013. Journals.lww.com.
- Lose weight to lose erectile dysfunction. By Michael F. Evans. Published: January 2015. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- Can Exercise Boost Your Sex Drive? Here’s What Science Says. By Alexa Mellardo. Published on February 11, 2022. Eatthis.com.