# obesity and (ahem) dysfunction **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 25, 2006, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814 "2006-10-25T05:01:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![caturday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a87d85/32.png) [@caturday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caturday)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/1 "2006-10-25T05:01:06Z")
Can obesity be a major factor for men who are having issues having erections? I already know depression, caffeine and stress can be a factor. Also is it true that Viagra won’t do a damned thing unless the mind is in the mood? I’m asking for a friend you see. His name is, uh, Fursday. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/2 "2006-10-25T05:07:17Z")
Not sure, but diabetes can cause sexual dysfunction and is often associated with obesity. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/3 "2006-10-25T05:08:44Z")
Obesity has been linked to erectile dysfunction, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/4 "2006-10-25T05:17:34Z")
Obesity \<-\> Hypertension \<-\> ED Obesity \<-\> Hypercholesteremia \<-\> ED Obesity \<-\> Diabetes Mellitus \<-\> Hypertension \<-\> ED Obesity \<-\> Diabetes Mellitus \<-\> Hypercholesteremia \<-\> ED ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/5 "2006-10-25T06:39:10Z")
When I don’t think I look good (put on some weight, face breaking out, etc) I dont’ feel sexy fer nuthin’ and will NOT get turned on. Maybe that’s a chick thing, but I understand that men have been known to be affected by more than physiology when it comes to sex. 😉 Isn’t it all about endorphins anyway? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/6 "2006-10-25T14:17:12Z")
Hard to say. Unless there’s some circulation issue of course fat guys can still get hard and orgasm, but it’s definitely a “meh” compared to when you’re in better shape (and this is more of a virility aesthetic than anything else). When you’re fat and by yourself you feel unattractive and unwanted, and when you’re fat with someone else you’re always thinking “This could have been much better if I wasn’t such a tub of lard”. You “feel” harder and more virile when you’re more muscular in better shape, and your partner, being appreciative of your stamina and physique, makes you feel more virile, and the erection to orgasm experience is less inhibited, and more fulfilling for both you and your partner. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/7 "2006-10-25T15:31:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Isn’t it all about endorphins anyway? No, sometimes it’s just about function. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/8 "2006-10-25T22:25:01Z")
ED is driven by neuro-vascular problems. Sex drive is hormonal, but ED is plumbing. Vascular comorbidities are not unusual in poorly-managed cases of Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Vascular Plaquing and the like. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/9 "2006-10-25T23:27:34Z")
[QUOTE=caturday] Can obesity be a major factor for men who are having issues having erections? I already know depression, caffeine and stress can be a factor. Also is it true that Viagra won’t do a damned thing unless the mind is in the mood? I’m asking for a friend you see. His name is, uh, Fursday. [/QUOTE] 😉 ---
**Author:** ![daffyduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ec9cab/32.png) [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/10 "2006-10-26T02:18:18Z")
Well, there’s ED and then there’s ED. As **cerberus** has said, there are many factors associated with obesity that contribute to circulation problems. I have a very good friend that got into a depression cycle and wound up being 375 lbs and he felt like crap, both physically and mentally. Morning erections were a fond memory and he had real difficulty getting and maintaining an erection, even though he had a willing and sympathetic female partner he was genuinely attracted to. Then he decided that it was time for him to start feeling good about himself again and he got onto a diet and exercise program and the results were nothing short of amazing. He dropped 175 lbs and along the way regained **all** of his sexual functioning. I know this is purely anecdotal, but his experience was yes, obesity can definitely be not only **a** factor, it might even be **the** factor in ED problems of some people. \* Also is it true that Viagra won’t do a damned thing unless the mind is in the mood?\* True. Viagra and Cialis don’t **cause** erections, they just help make it **possible** to have one. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/11 "2006-10-26T02:27:25Z")
V and C act as vasodilators, which allow the microvascular grid in the penis to engorge. Underlying issues with microvascular blockage and damage drive ED, whether said damage is due to one or a combination of hypertension, hypercholesteremia or diabetes mellitus. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/12 "2006-10-26T02:47:15Z")
[QUOTE=cerberus] Obesity \<-\> Hypercholesteremia \<-\> ED [/QUOTE] Sorry to nitpick but the relationship between (uncomplicated) obesity and hypercholesterolemia is pretty marginal. I’m not even sure there _is_ a link. Obestity _per se_ can lead to hypertriglyceridemia and/or low HDL-cholesterol, but it’s not really a cause of hyper_cholesterolemia_. Even if the obesity results in, or is associated with diabetes, there is still little, if any, connection between it and high LDL-cholesterol levels\* \*although the size and composition of LDL from both obese and diabetic individuals may be such that it promotes atherosclerosis, _independent of the level of LDL_. This is quite different from having high levels of LDL. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/13 "2006-10-26T05:11:02Z")
I believe several observational studies link obesity to ED (erectile dysfunction) directly. There is also a widely quoted randomized trial that suggests about 1/3 of obese men with ED gain function if they lose weight. [http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band134/b134-5.html](http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band134/b134-5.html) ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/14 "2006-10-26T05:38:34Z")
The probable link may be that diabetes mellitus frequently involves hyperinsulemia, at least in NIDDM Type II, and that said hyperinsulemia promotes inflammation, which cheerfully hardens that fluffy stuff into vascular blockage. Hell, the links between obesity and hypertension alone can lead to damage of the microvascular web web that Mister Happy needs to engorge properly. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-and-ahem-dysfunction/377814/15 "2006-10-26T12:15:46Z")
I read the thread title and got this mental image of a guy to fat to see his relevant parts. “Honey, can you have a look and see if I have ED?”