Physical Activity Tied to Sexual Function in Young Men

Young, healthy men with sedentary lifestyles have increased dysfunction in validated questionnaire

THURSDAY, Dec. 15 (HealthDay News) -- For young, healthy men, leading a sedentary lifestyle is associated with increased sexual dysfunction on various domains of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), according to a study published online Dec. 6 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Wayland Hsiao, M.D., from Emory University in Atlanta, and colleagues examined the association between physical activity and erectile function in young, healthy men. A total of 78 men, aged 18 to 40 years, were classified into two groups on the basis of physical activity: a sedentary group, comprising 27 men, who expended 1,400 calories/week or less; and an active group of 51 men, who expended more than 1,400 calories/week. The participants completed the Paffenbarger Physical Activity Questionnaire and the IIEF. Differences in baseline scores of greater than one point per question for the IIEF and its domains, exercise energy expenditure, and predictors of dysfunction, as seen in the IIEF, were the primary end points.

The investigators found that a sedentary lifestyle correlated with significantly increased dysfunction in erectile function, orgasm function, intercourse satisfaction, and overall satisfaction domains of the IIEF. The sedentary group showed a trend toward more dysfunction for total scores on the IIEF (44.4 versus 23.5 percent; P = 0.057), whereas both groups exhibited similar sexual desire domain scores (51.9 and 41.2 percent, respectively; P = 0.37).

"Increased physical activity is associated with better sexual function measured by a validated questionnaire in a young, healthy population," the authors write.

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