14 DAY TRIAL // There's no much motivation in making a man engulf a huge steak with French fries and a large beer. Losing weight is another issue. Still, there is hope: warning overweight men that the extra fat can lead to impotence could be a crucial and effective urge to make them adopt weight-loss strategies.
"Most men are oblivious to the fact that being overweight could cause erectile dysfunction and this link could be the key to fighting obesity. The high levels of obesity in Australian men has significant consequences for chronic diseases, both physical and psychological," said Professor Gary Wittert, the head of the school of medicine at the University of Adelaide, who intends to use the results of two large surveys targeting men's sexual health, the Florey Adelaide Male Aging Study and the Men in Australia Telephone Survey.
Obesity does not restrict blood circulation only to the heart and other inner organs, but to the penis as well. In fact, sexual function is the first that the organism can neglect.
"While it is common knowledge that the blood vessels to the heart are affected by obesity, that similar effects occur with the blood vessels to the penis, resulting in erectile dysfunction and poor urinary tract function, is not so well known. As Australian men are deeply concerned about erection problems, perhaps more so than possible cardiovascular disease, this may present an opportunity to improve communication about the benefits of weight loss," said Wittert, who is also Senior Consultant Endocrinologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, a member of the Hanson Research Institute and founding member of the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health.
Men are not very cooperative in receiving health information, that's why specialists must find a gender-specific method. At the moment, 67% of Australian men have a body mass index (BMI) higher than 25, being either overweight or obese. In the US, the number goes close to 80%.