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 The authors say their results support the idea that exercise might
one day be prescribed as a treatment for erectile dysfunction.
While previous research has linked erections to physical activity,
the current study is the first to include a high proportion of
African-Americans and finds they get the same apparent benefit from
exercise as white men.
"Our results confirm previous work, however, no study has ever
addressed how a minimal amount of exercise impacts both erectile and
sexual function among black men, a population with increased
prevalence of erectile dysfunction risk factors including obesity,
diabetes, sedentary lifestyle and lower socioeconomic status,"
senior study author Adriana Vidal, a researcher at the Cedars-Sinai
Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute in Los Angeles, said in
an email.
Vidal and colleagues examined exercise habits and sexual function in
295 healthy men who were part of a research project evaluating
prostate cancer risk at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center
in North Carolina.
On average, the men were about 62 years old, and they were all
overweight or obese. Roughly one third had diabetes or a history of
chest pain or heart attacks. About three quarters were current or
former smokers. Ninety-three men, or about a third of the group,
were African-American.
Researchers asked the participants how often they exercised, and how
intensely, as well as what types of physical activities they did.
Men were scored based on a measure known as metabolic equivalent of
task (MET) hours per week and placed in four categories ranging from
sedentary, with three or fewer MET hours/week, to highly active,
with at least 18 MET hours/week.
Most often, the men were sedentary, with 44 percent reporting little
activity. But a substantial proportion, 26 percent, were highly
active.
Researchers also questioned the men about their sexual function,
focusing on their ability to get erections and have orgasms, as well
as the quality and frequency of their erections.
Men rated their functionality on most questions from 1 to 5, with
higher numbers equaling more satisfaction. Added up, responses could
lead to a total score from 0 to 100.
For all participants, the average sexual satisfaction score was 50.
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Men who reported more frequent exercise also reported higher sexual
function scores. Half of the highly active men reported sexual
function scores of at least 70, compared with a median score of
about 33 for sedentary men.
The study is relatively small, and only looked at one point in time,
so it wasn't designed to prove that men can improve sexual function
by getting more exercise, the researchers write in The Journal of
Sexual Medicine.
The men in the study were also not that active, noted Dr. Joan Khoo,
chief of endocrinology at Changi General Hospital in Singapore, in
an email.
To get the minimum amount of exercise needed to qualify as highly
active in the study, men would need to do a moderately intense
activity such as brisk walking, cycling or tennis for an hour three
to four times a week, said Khoo, who wasn't involved in the study.
Still, Khoo said, many factors besides exercise can contribute to
sexual function.
"In addition to genetic differences, disparities between ethnic
groups in psychological, cultural and socioeconomic barriers to diet
and exercise may contribute to the observed association and benefit
(or lack thereof) between ethnicity and erectile function," Khoo
said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1NilZYI
The Journal of Sexual Medicine, online March 20, 2015.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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