Sexual Dysfunction
How Obesity Increases the Risk of Sexual Dysfunction
There are many different types of sexual dysfunction and several of them are largely influenced by obesity. (1) Many of the factors that can contribute to sexual problems include “injuries to the back, an enlarged prostate gland, diseases, drugs, alcohol, smoking, endocrine disorders, hormonal deficiencies, nerve damage, problems with blood supply and even genetic birth defects. (2) The four types of sexual disorders are sexual desire disorders, sexual arousal disorders, orgasm disorders and sexual pain disorders. (3) Not all of these are related to obesity or have been shown to be related to obesity, but in general, the metabolism, endocrine system and the human body are complex enough to say that at some point, almost everything could be related to obesity or the metabolic syndrome. What’s true is that even a small amount of weight loss can trigger a kind of ‘threshold’ effect that can halt or even reverse serious disorders in the body. (4)
Obesity is a serious condition that affects some 25% of the United States population. (5) Obesity has been identified as one of the primary indicators of a deeper condition known as metabolic syndrome (6) in which various hormones that are supposed to regulate appetite, blood-sugar levels, body-fat storage, liver- and pancreatic function as well as blood circulation become imbalanced and can lead to serious problems with the cardiovascular system (heart attacks, angina, stroke, atherosclerosis), the endocrine system (PCOS, infertility, sexual dysfunction) and even disorders in the gastrointestinal system (liver disease, kidney disease, bowel cancer, bladder disease and stomach disease). (7)
Obesity and sexual dysfunction
The link is pretty clearly established that obesity has a significant effect on the endocrine system which can severely compromise the body’s ability to regulate sex hormones. (8) A large part of sexual dysfunction can come from the fact that many people are turned off or even repulsed by partners who are overweight or obese and this has been linked to hormonal imbalances and changes in pheromones. (8)
In men, a diet that is high in sugar or carbohydrates can be linked to high levels of blood-sugar in the body which can trigger the liver to store body-fat from the available sugar. Excess body-fat then has the adverse effect of releasing more hormones into the body such as leptin, adipokines and cytokines which puts the patient into a constant cycle of overeating. (9) Insulin is released from the pancreas in excess amounts and the victim may become insulin resistant, which can lead to diabetes. (10) Hormones then released in excessive amounts from the pituitary glands can interfere with fertility as it has been shown that being overweight in men directly correlates with lower testosterone levels. (11) Reduced spermatogenesis (sperm replenishment) has been associated with men who are morbidly obese and in whom was observed severe hypotestosteronemia. (12) Furthermore, in the same study, increasing body mass index was also linked to erectile dysfunction. (13) Skinfold thickness and changing parameters of sperm-composition (less motile and less densely concentrated) were also all correlated with lower testosterone levels and obesity. (14)
In women, it has been known for quite some time that obesity and infertility are intricately linked. (15) Women between the ages of 20 and 40 who were obese were found to have menstrual abnormalities and evidence of infertility. (16) Irregular cycles, being overweight of at least 30 lb., virile hair growth and heavy blood flow, or even very weak blood flow and rare periods, were all shown to be related to hormonal imbalances in the female endocrine system and in particular the thyroid gland and the ovaries. (17) With regards to obesity, the relationship to infertility is through the complex functioning of the metabolic system, which is usually in disorder when the patient is obese. Imbalances in insulin levels, cholesterol levels, leptin levels, estrogen levels, blood-sugar levels and a host of other hormones which are normally regulated in a non-overweight body are now out of sync and can cause the victim to become not only more obese, but lead to serious conditions such as PCOS, diabetes, heart disease and even some forms of cancer. (18) Furthermore, since most people who are obese also have very high levels of insulin in their blood, it was shown that excessive amounts of insulin in an organism cause the pituitary gland to release an overabundance of fertility hormones, to which the body can become desensitized to, leading to hormone resistance. (19)
Lose weight to become more fertile
It is pretty clear from all of this that obesity is the key factor in reversing the metabolic, endocrine and even other disorders in the body. Even the loss of just 10% of excess body weight has been shown to be able to trigger better conditions for many of the illnesses covered by the broad spectrum of the metabolic syndrome, as has been observed in studies on sleep apnea. (20) Losing weight has also shown to result in the levels of testosterone and estrogen becoming more regulated and thus have more effect, which is by and large the same as an increase in fertility. (21) Not to say that most people find lean and healthy people more attractive, which can get rid of negative feelings about a partner which can also lead to infertility issues.
The key to losing weight is undoubtedly a combination of an appropriate diet, regular exercise and a change from a sedentary lifestyle to a largely active one. What is important to know about diet is that the metabolic disorder is caused primarily by blood-sugar levels that are too high. Subsequently, it is easy to reverse this by switching to whole grains and vegetables as a source of carbohydrates instead of refined grains, cutting out sugar almost entirely (in the form of candy and soft drinks) as well as staying away from carbohydrate-rich junk food such as french fries, potato chips and corn chips. Some diets even recommend switching away from carbohydrates almost entirely and only consuming very low quantities in the form of vegetables or fruit or even none at all for severe cases of metabolic disorder. Whichever diet you choose, the primary goal is to reverse the metabolic syndrome and reduce all associated problems, especially sexual dysfunction.
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(1) Sexual problems overview, Medline Plus, 9/11/2010. Retrieved July 26th, 2011, US National Library of Medicine. Retrieved July 26th, 2011, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001951.htm
(2) ibid.
(3) ibid.
(4) APPENDIX IV. OBESITY AND SLEEP APNEA, The Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: The Evidence Report. Retrieved July 25th, 2011, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/e_txtbk/appndx/apndx4.htm
(5) Metabolic syndrome, Wikipedia. Retrieved July 26th, 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_syndrome
(6) ibid.
(7) Metabolic Syndrome, National Center for Biotechnology Information, April 19, 2010. Retrieved July 26th, 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004546/
(8) Revealing Estrogen's Secret Role In Obesity, Science Daily, Aug. 20, 2007. Retrieved July 26th, 2011, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070820145348.htm
(9) Waist circumference modifies the relationship between the adipose tissue cytokines leptin and adiponectin and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in haemodialysis patients, C. Zoccali, M. Postorino, C. Marino, P. Pizzini, S. Cutrupi, G. Tripepi, Journal of Internal Medicine, Volume 269, Issue 2, pages 172–181, February 2011. Retrieved July 26th, 2011, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2796.2010.02288.x/full
(10) Diabetes, Wikipedia. Retrieved July 26th, 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/Diabetes
(11) Obesity and infertility, Pasquali, Renato; Patton, Laura; Gambineri, Alessandra, Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity, December 2007 - Volume 14 - Issue 6 - p 482-487. Retrieved July 6th, 2011, http://journals.lww.com/co-endocrinology/Abstract/2007/12000/Obesity_and_infertility.11.aspx
(12) Spermatogenesis, Wikipedia. Retrieved July 6th, 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermatogenesis
(13) Obesity and infertility, Pasquali, Renato; Patton, Laura; Gambineri, Alessandra, Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity, December 2007 - Volume 14 - Issue 6 - p 482-487. Retrieved July 6th, 2011, http://journals.lww.com/co-endocrinology/Abstract/2007/12000/Obesity_and_infertility.11.aspx
(14) Hypogonadism, Wikipedia. Retrieved July 6th, 2011, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypotestosteronemia
(15) The association of obesity with infertility and related menstural abnormalities in women. Hartz AJ, Barboriak PN, Wong A, Katayama KP, Rimm AA., Int J Obes. 1979;3(1):57-73. Retrieved July 6th, 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/528119
(16) ibid.
(17) ibid.
(18) Metabolic Syndrome, National Center for Biotechnology Information, April 19, 2010. Retrieved July 26th, 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004546/
(19) A Missing Link from Obesity to Infertility: Researchers Unravel Clues to Infertility Among Obese Women, ScienceDaily (Sep. 8, 2010). Retrieved July 6th, 2011, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100907123738.htm
(20) APPENDIX IV. OBESITY AND SLEEP APNEA, The Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: The Evidence Report. Retrieved July 25th, 2011, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/e_txtbk/appndx/apndx4.htm
(21) Small weight loss 'ups fertility', Emma Wilkinson, 30 June 2009. Retrieved July 26th, 2011, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8125086.stm