Losing weight may protect men from having erectile dysfunction

Men in their 40s who become or remain obese are at significantly higher risk of developing erectile dysfunction (ED), regardless of age, comorbidities, and lifestyle factors, suggests a study.

A team of investigators included 924 Brazilian men aged ≥40 years with ED at baseline who underwent routine health evaluations between 2008 and 2022 in this longitudinal cohort study. They measured BMI, ED (assessed with the IIEF-5), and demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors at baseline and follow-up visits (300‒800 days apart).

Participants were categorized into the following BMI trajectories: remained healthy, became healthy, became obese, or remained obese. The investigators then analysed the associations with ED using hierarchical logistic regression adjusted for demographic, clinical, and behavioural covariates.

During follow-up, nearly half of the men (44.3 percent) no longer had ED, while 32.0 percent reported mild ED, 2.5 percent mild-to-moderate ED, 16.0 percent had moderate ED, and 5.2 percent severe ED.

Of the participants, the majority (70.1 percent) remained healthy, while 3.9 percent became healthy. On the other hand, 4.1 percent of men became obese, and 21.9 percent remained obese.

Those who became obese (odds ratio [OR], 2.46, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.15‒5.27; p=0.021) or remained obese (OR, 1.73, 95 percent CI, 1.22‒2.45; p=0.002) were more likely to develop ED than their healthy counterparts.

“In this longitudinal cohort of Brazilian men aged ≥40 years, unfavourable BMI trajectories—particularly becoming or remaining obese—were independently associated with greater odds of ED,” said the investigators. “These results reinforce obesity as a modifiable determinant of sexual and vascular health and emphasize the preventive value of long-term weight management.”