Relationship Between Nutrition and Sexual Activity

Sexuality is integral to personality, influencing feelings, thoughts, actions, and physical and mental health. Female sexual dysfunction is a fairly common condition that covers four main areas: hypoactive sexual desire disorder, arousal disorder, orgasmic disorder, and sexual pain disorder. Although incidence and prevalence rates vary, it has been reported that women range between 30% and 50%. Male sexual dysfunction is not a single disease. Male sexual arousal refers to the entire process of sexual activity for men, including penile erection, penile penetration, ejaculation, and any obstruction in a single connection. It is a significant psychological distress for affected men, their sexual partners, and their health-related quality of life. Sexual dysfunctions are common among men of all ages and ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is reported in the literature that 52% of men between the ages of 40-70 experience various degrees of sexual dysfunction. Cardiovascular disease, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and metabolic syndrome are risk factors for sexual dysfunction. Although the positive effects of adopting healthy lifestyle changes and dietary habits in reducing the risks of these diseases have been proven, few studies have evaluated the impact of these treatment approaches on sexual dysfunction. Studies evaluating the relationship between diet and erectile dysfunction have focused more on men with diabetes. Some small studies have also shown that lifestyle modification and weight loss interventions improve erectile dysfunction in men with significant cardiovascular risks. The same is valid for female sexual dysfunction. The Western diet and its components are indirectly associated with sexual morbidity. The Western diet has processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and high sodium and monounsaturated fat content, which have been widely linked to the development of MetS, obesity, and diabetes. These comorbidities are also risk factors for female sexual dysfunction as well. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the eating habits of obese and non-obese men and women and their sexual functions.