Obesity and Men's Sexual Health: How are they connected?

Obesity is one of the most famous killers of our world, leading to over 1000 deaths per day in the United States of America. Its adverse effects do not only include, heart attacks, high cholesterol, and blood pressure but also takes a toll on men’s sexual health.

Believe it or not, obesity affects men and women largely in their healthy sexual lifestyle. It specifically affects male hormones, sexuality and prostate health. Let us learn more about how this killer lifestyle habitat can affect you and your sexual health.

How to know if one is obese?

To know if one is obese or not, the standard calculation of BMI is required. The Body Mass Index, helps one identify if they are underweight, normal, nearly obese or obese. One can change their lifestyle accordingly to their BMI into a much healthier one which is suitable for their body and longevity.

The BMI gives an estimate of your overall body fat. A BMI between 25 and 30 puts you in the overweight category. Though body fat is good, abdominal fat is the most harmful variety. If your waist circumference is above 37.5 inches it puts you at risk of obesity.

Obesity and Testosterone

Testosterone is the major male hormone that helps give men their prominent features such as deep voice and helps in the development of male reproductive organs for sperm production and libido. These hormone levels start to reduce as men grow older and older. The drop in testosterone averages just 1% a year, but obesity helps in accelerating this decline into testosterone deficiency. A study has found that the waist circumference of men was the strongest predictor of developing symptoms of testosterone deficiency.

Being overweight might also be a major hindrance to one’s stamina which is important to sustain a sexual performance. Obesity changes the metabolism of sex hormones and its impacts can cause loss of libido or low sexual drive.

Another study has found that one in seven obese men could benefit from testosterone replacement. This just proves that obesity and testosterone levels are interlinked with each other. But some of the other factors that obesity can affect in men can include:

Erectile Deficiency (E.D)

Men with ED often blame testosterone and their hormonal disorders, but this only accounts for 3% of ED. But even with normal testosterone levels, men who are obese have an increased risk of ED. One Brazilian research also linked abdominal obesity to ED, but only in men over 60. Another study reported that having a BMI of 28 increased a man’s odds of developing ED by over 90%.

This can be improved by a thorough diet and exercising, without any medication. Men who lost the most weight enjoyed their greatest benefit.

Obesity and sexuality

 Obesity sure takes a big toll on sexuality. It can also impair fertility. In research conducted by American scientists, it has been found that obesity is linked to low sperm counts and reduced sperm motility. This has been reported in men between the age of 20 and 30.

It may make someone feel less confident about themselves and their lives which results in poor performance. In a recent survey conducted among 1,000 respondents aged 18-45, it has been found that poor self-image and lifestyle disorders were a common worry among obese people.

Some of the other diseases that are linked with men’s sexual health and obesity can be;

• Kidney stones these painful deposits of calcium, oxalate or uric acids can be most common in men who are obese.
• Benign Prostate Hyperplasia is the enlargement of the prostate gland. A Chinese study has found out that men with bigger bellies have bigger prostate glands.
• Lower PSA levels, though obesity enlarges the prostate glands, it also lowers the Prostate-specific-antigen (PSA) levels. It is due to that obesity increases the blood volume and not because their prostates produced less PSA. PSA is more diluted in the blood.
• Prostate Cancer, because obesity lowers PSA levels it can make it harder to detect prostate cancer in overweight guys. Obesity also has an adverse effect on the biology of prostate cancer. Research shows that extra body fat increases a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer. The alteration of the metabolism of sex hormones also affects the growth of prostate cancer.

These further health complications of obesity-linked with the sexual health of men can be fought back with healthy lifestyle changes and exercising. With diet controls and losing a few kilograms, beating obesity is no big deal. Though it is hard but not impossible with sheer will and determination it can be done with ease.