Mr. L.P. (34 years old, Ninh Thuan) got fat after getting married and gained weight uncontrollably for the past 3-4 years. At his peak, he weighed more than 110kg. Although he consciously exercised or went swimming every day, his weight did not decrease.
Being overweight caused him knee pain and had to have ligament surgery, making it difficult for him to walk.
After going to the doctor, Mr. P. was diagnosed with obesity and grade 2 fatty liver. In addition to going to the doctor because he was overweight, there was another sensitive reason he wanted to consult a doctor about whether obesity was causing his "marital relationship" to not last long?
“Sometimes I feel tired and not very interested in sex with my wife, even though our love is still very passionate,” Mr. P. shared, and was worried that if this situation persists, it will affect the couple's happiness.
Dr. Lam Van Hoang, Director of Tam Anh Weight Loss Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, said that obese men face the risk of hypogonadism and impotence.
According to the results of the General Nutrition Survey for the period 2019 - 2020 from the Ministry of Health, the average height and weight of adult Vietnamese men is 168.1 cm, weight from 52.28 to 70.63 kg is considered standard.
The average weight of Vietnamese men has tended to increase in recent years. According to the National Institute of Nutrition, the current rate of overweight and obesity in adults is 6.6%.
“Obese men may experience decreased sexual desire, erectile dysfunction and reduced sperm quality related to fertility issues,” said Dr. Hoang.
Explaining further, Dr. Hoang analyzed that one of the effects of obesity is hormonal imbalance. When the body is obese, it will lead to a decline in hormones, including testosterone - one of the important hormones of men.
Testosterone not only determines male characteristics but also directly affects general health and physiological ability. This condition causes a series of disorders related to premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, impotence...
Overweight and obese men are at high risk of high cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. All of these factors affect blood vessels and blood flow to the genitals, which can cause erectile dysfunction.
“For men, they may not pay as much attention to their appearance when they are overweight as women, but they seriously lose confidence in the bedroom,” Dr. Hoang noted.
Obese men often have a lot of belly fat, which makes their "genitals" feel smaller or even covered, which is also a major obstacle in sexual activity. When men have erectile dysfunction, they will start to avoid sex and can gradually fall into a state of depression.
Weight loss is one of the effective methods to control blood sugar, thereby improving male physiological function.
