Hitting the gym may help men avoid diet induced erectile dysfunction

Obesity continues to plague the U.S. and now extends to much of the rest of the world. One probable reason for this growing health problem is more people worldwide eating the so-called Western diet, which contains high levels of saturated fat, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (the type of fat found in vegetable oil), and added sugar. Researchers have long known that this pattern of consumption, as well as the weight gain it often causes, contributes to a wide range of other health problems including erectile dysfunction and heart disease. Other than changing eating patterns, researchers havent discovered an effective way to avoid these problems.

Searching for a solution, Christopher Wingard and his colleagues at East Carolina University used rats put on a "junk food" diet to test the effects of aerobic exercise. They found that exercise effectively improved both erectile dysfunction and the function of vessels that supply blood to the heart.

The article is entitled "Exercise Prevents Western-Diet Associated Erectile Dysfunction and Coronary Artery Endothelial Dysfunction: Response to Acute Apocynin and Sepiapterin Treatment." It appears in the online edition of the American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiology, published by the American Physiological Society. The article is online at http://bit.ly/13jYpED.

Methodology

For 12 weeks, the researchers fed a group of rats chow that reflected the Western diet, high in sugar and with nearly half its calories from fat. Another group of rats ate a healthy standard rat chow instead. Half of the animals in each group exercised five days a week, running intervals on a treadmill.

At the end of the 12 weeks, anesthetized animals erectile function was assessed by electrically stimulating the cavernosal nerve, which causes an increase in penile blood flow and produces an erection. The researchers also examined the rats coronary arteries to see how they too responded to agents that would relax them and maintain blood flow to the heart, an indicator of heart health.

Results

The findings showed that rats who ate the Western diet but stayed sedentary developed erectile dysfunction and poorly relaxing coronary arteries. However, those who ate the diet but exercised were able to stave off these problems.

Animals who ate the healthy chow were largely able to avoid both erectile dysfunction and coronary artery dysfunction.

Importance of the Findings

These findings may suggest that exercise could be a potent tool for fighting the adverse effects of the Western diet as long as the subjects remained very active over the course of consuming this type of diet, the authors say. Whether exercise would still be effective in reversing any vascular problems after a lifetime of consuming a Western diet is still unknown.

"The finding that exercise prevents Western diet-associated erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease progression translates to an intensively active lifestyle throughout the duration of the junk food diet," the authors say. "It remains to be seen if a moderately active lifestyle, or an active lifestyle initiated after a prolonged duration of a sedentary lifestyle combined with a junk food diet is effective at reversing functional impairment."

Men must Avoid 5 this Supplement

Men must Avoid 5 this Supplement - First, the consumption of supplements are often synonymous with femininity because it was thought women are weaker than men. But now, that assumption is no longer valid. Many men use supplements for various reasons, such as to simply maintain fitness, prevent certain diseases, and increase stamina.

However, you are the men must remain cautious. Because, there are several types of mineral deposits or active ingredient in a supplement that can actually trigger the progression of the disease.

Here are five types of supplementation to be aware of by men as quoted health.msn. For security in taking supplements, you should first consult a physician.

* Folic Acid

Many research revealed the efficacy of folic acid in particular to treat depression and heart disease. In fact, some people believe that taking folic acid regularly can repair a damaged sperm to become normal again. However, studies on the experts at the University of Southern California found that eating 1 mg dose of folic acid every day can lead to risk of prostate cancer up to three times. The research was never published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in March 2009.

* Resveratrol

Resveratrol is one of the polyphenolic compounds found in plants and is often used in the medical field. The results of laboratory tests on mice showed even resveratrol can prolong the lifespan of mice. However, the studies in human showed that resveratrol consumption can cause kidney damage.

* Selenium

Selenium (Se) is an antioxidant that is beneficial to human health. High levels of antioxidants in selenium are believed to increase endurance. However, some research has linked the consumption of selenium with an increased risk of prostate cancer. In 2009, experts from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at the University of California, San Francisco, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that high levels of selenium in the blood may worsen prostate cancer in men who have this disease.

* Kava

Kava extracts are commonly used as an herbal product in North America to cope with anxiety, stress, tension, and insomnia. Consumption of kava supplements are not appropriate in some cases can result in severe liver toxicity, including hepatitis and liver failure in some people.

* Ginkgo biloba

Since the first ginkgo biloba has long been used as traditional medicine in China. This herbal plant has been recognized efficacy in improving memory (memory). However, the results showed that ginkgo biloba-based supplement is often contaminated with lead. Researchers from the United States Government Accountability Office in 2010 and then in a report that appeared in The New York Times reported the existence of a number of herbal supplements are contaminated with several heavy metals, including ginkgo.