Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Lifestyle Affects Erectile Function

Lifestyle modification.  We know it's good for us but we can't seem to make those necessary changes to our daily habits, even though doing so will decrease our mortality as well as improve our health.  Guys are especially problematic since we typically won't even go see a doctor unless a limb or appendage falls off (it's medically analogous to refusing to ask for directions until we're clearly lost in the middle of nowhere).

So is there a better incentive for guys than a longer, healthier life?  How about better erectile function?  In a study released early online, the authors concluded that lifestyle modification can effectively improve erectile dysfunction as determined by validated questionnaires.  Statins that reduced cardiovascular risk factors also improved sexual function.

Well, maybe "can" is too strong a word since the study was a meta-analysis of 6 randomized controlled trials involving 740 men in 4 countries, ranging from 8wks to 2yrs in duration.  Average age in the individual trials varied significantly from 43yo to 64yo.  4 of the trials focused on lifestyle modification while 2 involved statins.  Lifestyle modifications also varied from Mediterranean diet to interval exercise to weight loss to exercise plus "lifestyle change".

While this is a small relatively short analysis, it's heartening to note that improving one's lifestyle in any fashion can improve erectile dysfunction in Iran, Italy, Nigeria, and the States.  Best of all, it's free and there are no side effects or contraindications.  You can't say that about Cialis, Levitra & Viagra!

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