Erectile dysfunction (ED), also referred to as impotence, is one of the most common ailments afflicting mature men worldwide. The main symptom of impotence is the inability to achieve and/or maintain an erection suitable for sexual intercourse. Reasons for impotence include stress, hormonal deficiency, psychological issues, pelvic trauma, neurological problems, smoking, alcohol abuse, or conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Treatment will largely be determined by the underlying cause and can range from oral prescriptions, direct injections to the penis, psychological counseling, mechanical sex aids or surgery.
What many impotent men are unaware of is that their weight can be a factor in their condition. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health has concluded that obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can be one of the reasons for impotence. In the study, obesity was defined as a body mass index of more than 30 kilograms in weight divided by the square of height in meters. Of the men in the study who reported having impotence, a staggering 80% of those were also obese or overweight.
Some of those obese men were also diagnosed with...