Sex Lives of Diabetic Men Improve with Weight Loss

Sarah C.P. Williams, MyHealthNewsDaily Contributor

If you're an overweight man with diabetes, changing your eating habits may improve your life more than popping a pill can.

A new study concludes that even for men with diabetes that's well-controlled by medication, dieting can improve the erectile dysfunction and urological problems commonly experienced.

"Lower urinary tract symptoms are often ignored," said Dr. Gary Wittert, an endocrinologist at the University of Adelaide in Australia, who led the research. "But they may affect up to 40 percent of the overweight, diabetic population."

These symptoms, Wittert said, include erectile dysfunction and overactive bladder syndrome, which is often characterized by urinating frequently and urgently.

"Medication is expensive, medical care is expensive, here's a lifestyle change that's quick, cheap, easy, and can improve health substantially beyond anything that medication can do," Wittert said.

Medicines and Sex: Not Always a Good Mix

By Chris Woolston, M.S.

For both men and women, it takes a complicated chain of events to move from arousal to a satisfying orgasm. The mind has to stay focused, nerves have to stay sensitive, and blood has to flow to all the right places. Unfortunately, many things can break the chain -- including, perhaps, the pills in your medicine cabinet.

Medicines often work by altering blood flow and brain chemistry, so its no surprise that they can affect sexual function, and not always for the better. Medications can shut down a person's sex drive, delay orgasms, or prevent orgasms entirely. Medications are also a leading cause of erectile dysfunction in men.

If you've noticed a drop in your ability to have or enjoy sex, talk to your doctor about possible causes. Be sure to bring a list of every medication you're taking. A simple change of drugs or doses could be all it takes. But never stop taking a prescription drug or change dosages on your own. Your doctor can help you determine if a drug you're taking is the problem -- and help you switch to another medication safely.

What drugs can affect sexual function?