Heart risk may kill the mood, on Valentines Day and beyond

By Rosie Schwartz



With cardiovascular disease rates set to soar, we can expect to flounder in the bedroom

Not
to put a damper on things, but as you contemplate the perfect
Valentine's Day meal and seek out a range of aphrodisiacs, you might
want to look beyond the day for satisfying sexual intimacy. It's not
usually something that's openly talked about until many hit an age where
they watch those TV ads for the little blue pills with a little more
curiosity. But there's no doubt about it: sexual dysfunction is sure to
be on the rise - and not just for old men.

The recent
Heart and Stroke Foundation's 2010 Annual Report on Canadians' Health
pointed to a predicted increased incidence of cardiovascular disease due
to the soaring rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity,
sedentary lifestyles and smoking in unexpected groups, like younger
adults and women. But it didn't point out another condition that's
likely to occur well before a heart attack or stroke: sexual
dysfunction.

In men, it's known as erectile dysfunction or
ED. The incidence rises with increasing age and is thought to affect up
to one third of men throughout their lives. Though there are a range of
causes for sexual dysfunction including psychosocial factors like
depression, a bounty of scientific evidence is pointing to the very same
culprits that boost the odds of developing cardiovascular disease. And
considering the expected spike in cardiovascular disease, there's no
reason to anticipate that the same won't occur with ED.


Many of the warnings about heart health appear to be falling on deaf
ears. Cardiovascular disease is simply not a concern for many young
people. But for young to middle-aged men, it may be a wise idea to note
that the same lifestyle habits linked to unhealthy arteries predispose
men to ED. So is a man-sized burger really what a man wants on a regular
basis? Think about it this way: those hard-to-resist bargains at fast
food restaurants may lead to shrinking value elsewhere.

In
an Italian study, researchers looked at whether ED is actually a
symptom or a disease itself. In many cases, the condition appeared to be
the first symptom of undiagnosed health problems. When the scientists
investigated apparently healthy men with ED, they found that almost 15
percent had elevated fasting blood sugar readings - something they were
unaware of. In almost 20 percent of those with a type of ED linked to a
healthy blood supply, abnormal electrocardiograms were found in the
absence of any other symptoms for heart disease. According to the
researchers, finding the root cause of the erectile problem - for
example diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease - and then
treating it, was part of the remedy for the ED.

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