Dr. Stacy Loeb on lifestyle modifications and sexual health

In this video, Stacy Loeb, MD, MSc, PhD (hon), discusses exercise, diet, and stress management and their effects on sexual health. Loeb gave a presentation titled “What Can We Really Tell Our Patients About Lifestyle Modifications and Diet for Sexual Health?” at the 2024 Sexual Medicine Society of North America Fall Scientific Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is a professor in the departments of urology and population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Perlmutter Cancer Center in New York.

Transcription:

What types of exercise are most beneficial for improving sexual stamina and endurance?

Actually, really, physical activity has been shown to be beneficial for sexual quality of life in females and in males, so a lot of great data there. What I would really recommend is honestly just going with the physical activity guidelines for Americans, which recommend 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, and at least 2sessions a week of resistance activities.

What specific nutrients and dietary patterns have been shown to have a positive impact on sexual function? Are there any foods that men should consider incorporating into their diet to support sexual health?

Excitingly, there are actually a lot of recent data showing that people who eat more plant-based and less animal-based food, that that is associated with a lower risk of erectile dysfunction, even in patients with prostate cancer who have had surgery or radiation, which can particularly impact things like the nerves involved in erectile function. Even in these patients, eating more plant-based and less animal-based food after their treatment is associated with better scores for erectile function. So I think it's great, actually, that finally, we have more data on nutrition that we can recommend to our patients.

How does chronic stress affect sexual health, and what lifestyle modifications can help individuals manage stress effectively? Are there are any relaxation techniques or mindfulness practices that can be particularly beneficial for improving sexual function?

This is such an important question. And I think these other pillars of lifestyle medicine, like positive psychology and stress management, really can't be underemphasized when it comes to importance in terms of sexual health. It is so very much wrapped in both with physical health and with mental health. And so exactly what you're saying. Mindfulness practice can be very important. There is a great talk today at the SMSNA by Dr Pierorazio about mindfulness and whether that takes the part of mindfulness, meditation, however you want to be more purposeful and mindful in your day. It can be an active process. It can be a less active process. There are a lot of good mindfulness meditation programs available on YouTube. And I think these can be helpful to absolutely anybody, because you have to be all in in order [to have] satisfactory sexual activity.

This transcript was AI generated and edited by human editors for clarity.