Can you walk off Erectile dysfunction?
April 25, 2020 by Dr. Marc Darrow, M.D.
Researchers writing in the medical journal Urology examined questionnaires returned by over 15,000 aging men and found that moderate or severe sexual symptoms occurred in 20% of men 40 to 44 years and that significant symptoms increased with age up to 67% in the men 65 to 69 years. 1
Other researchers writing in The Journal of Sexual Medicine examined sexual function in older adults and noted that 41% of the men were sexually active with an average age between 75 and 87 (yes that says 87). The men who were not sexual active reported erectile dysfunction as the main reason why. Regardless the researchers concluded that desire for sexual activity remained high among men, despite substantial problems with erectile dysfunction. 2
Erectile dysfunction
It is important to understand that dysfunction is not an inevitable aspect of getting older. In fact, it’s more of a side effect of lifestyle than aging.
My initial advice to a man wanting to preserve or restore his sexual function is, instead of drugs, tie on your running shoes and start walking or jogging and change your nutrition. The old adage, “You are what you eat” rings true for sexual health and performance. Nutrition and exercise control the entire physiology of your body, and what you eat and do reflects in your ability to perform in bed.
Aging Men, Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, Decrease in Total Serum Testosterone Levels
Researchers writing in the Journal of Urology say that their study “…demonstrated that aging men with obesity and the metabolic syndrome have a significant decrease in total serum testosterone levels compared to aging, metabolically healthy men.” Read more
Decreased Testosterone and Erectile Dysfunction
Researchers writing in the Journal of Urology say that their study clearly demonstrated a decrease in testosterone level throughout a 4-year follow up in patients with ED. Read more
Diabetes and ED
Researchers writing in the British Journal of Urology say that about 1 in 3 men newly diagnosed with diabetes had ED. Read more
Is Erectile Dysfunction A Marker For Diabetes?
Researchers writing in the Journal of Urology say that male dysfunction was “an observable marker of diabetes mellitus, strongly so for men 45 years old or younger and likely for men 46 to 65 years old, but it is not a marker for men older than 66 years.” Read more
1. Mäkinen JI, Perheentupa A, Raitakari OT, et al. Sexual symptoms in aging men indicate poor life satisfaction and increased health service consumption Urology. 2007 Dec;70(6):1194-9.
2. Smith LJ, Mulhall JP, Deveci S, Monaghan N, Reid MC. Sex after seventy: a pilot study of sexual function in older persons. J Sex Med. 2007 Sep;4(5):1247-53.
Erectile Dysfunction and Diabetes
April 13, 2020 by Dr. Marc Darrow, M.D.
Researchers writing in the Journal of Urology say that male dysfunction was “an observable marker of diabetes mellitus, strongly so for men 45 years old or younger and likely for men 46 to 65 years old, but it is not a marker for men older than 66 years.”
Sun P, Cameron A, Seftel A, Shabsigh R, Niederberger C, Guay A. Erectile dysfunction–an observable marker of diabetes mellitus? A large national epidemiological study.J Urol. 2006 Sep;176(3):1081-5; discussion 1085
From the study abstract
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Low Estradiol Levels and Cognitive Function
April 13, 2011 by Dr. Marc Darrow, M.D.
Researchers writing in the medical journal Neurobiology of Aging, say that “Older women with low estradiol levels were more likely to experience decline in global cognitive function and verbal memory, and a similar trend was observed for verbal memory in men.”
Yaffe K, Barnes D, Lindquist K, Cauley J, Simonsick EM, Penninx B, Satterfield S, Harris T, Cummings SR. Endogenous sex hormone levels and risk of cognitive decline in an older biracial cohort. Neurobiol Aging. 2007 Feb;28(2):171-8.
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Exercise and Menopausal Symptoms
April 13, 2011 by Dr. Marc Darrow, M.D.
Researchers writing in the British Journal of General Practice say that their study “suggest(s) a positive association between somatic and psychological dimensions of health-related quality of life and participation in regular exercise. Women with BMI scores in the normal range reported lower vasomotor symptom scores and better health-related quality of life scores than heavier women.”
Daley A, Macarthur C, Stokes-Lampard H, McManus R, Wilson S, Mutrie N. Exercise participation, body mass index, and health-related quality of life in women of menopausal age. Br J Gen Pract. 2007 Feb;57(535):130-5.
BACKGROUND: Menopausal symptoms can affect women’s health and wellbeing. It is important to develop interventions to alleviate symptoms, especially given recent evidence resulting in many women no longer choosing to take hormone replacement therapy. Exercise may prove useful in alleviating symptoms, although evidence on its effectiveness has been conflicting.
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