A doctor has revealed the shocking link between your blood and sex drive – including why some men struggle to achieve and maintain an erection, what dishes to drop from your diet for a better sex life, and how to avoid getting “bad blood”.
Dr Florence Comite, from Brooklyn, US, is a practising physician of endocrinology who trained and taught at Yale Medical School.
She often shares insight into bizarre ways sex lives can be affected – including recently hitting the headlines for explaining why flying too much can impact bedroom action.
Now, Dr Comite has revealed how “bad blood” can impact sex lives too, including libidos, orgasms and erections.
“A lot of people ask me what blood does to their sex life, and if bad blood can affect their sex life – and it’s true,” Dr Comite, who founded Groq Health, told JamPrime.com.
“There are chemicals in the bloodstream – enzymes, cholesterol, sugar, iron – that can stop the way we function sexually and interfere with our interest in sex.
“Figuring out what’s going on in your bloodstream… you can look at the interference it has with your sex life.
“For example, if a man has difficulty achieving an erection, a simple blood test might reveal high blood sugar or cholesterol that indicates vascular disease.
“Just like clogged arteries can compromise blood flow to the heart, narrowed blood vessels supplying blood to the penis could result in difficulty getting erections and less-than-firm erections.
“Blood can also tell us how our sexual organs are functioning.
“By measuring blood levels of hormones like estrogen and testosterone, we gain deep insight into a person’s sexual desire and health, and ferret out the underlying cause of low libido or impaired sexual function.”
While Dr Comite believes there is no such thing as “bad blood” per se, the products in our blood can be harmful – which can be caused by things like stress and family health history.
She said: “For example, if diabetes or heart disease runs in your family, you can expect to have troubles in your sex life.
“Libido can be affected by the way our hormones circulate, and affect our brains and the way we think.
“Too much stress can affect our blood, too.
“So in that way, our blood is the messenger.”
So, how can you improve your blood health?
Dr Comite, who lives in New York with her husband Marc, their three sons, one daughter, and rescue dog, Olive, explains that a person’s diet is a big factor.
Too much saturated fats can interfere and cause inflammation, affecting organs including the genitals, as well as libido and orgasms.
She recommends laying off red meat, fried foods, and even baked goods.
Dr Comite said: “Poorly-controlled blood glucose can impact sexual performance by damaging small blood vessels and nerves.
“Damage to nerves that control sexual stimulation and response can impede a man’s or a woman’s libido or orgasm or the ability to achieve an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse in men.
“Baked goods made with flours typically remove fibre, which can trigger inflammation, lowering sex drive in men and women in the process.
“Avoid all fried foods that are high in saturated fats and trans fatty acids; think french fries, buffalo wings, onion rings, and other fried snacks.
“These foods are linked to coronary artery disease and high blood pressure, which lead to sexual dysfunction.
“Deli meats are typically high in salt too, leading to high blood pressure, which lowers your libido.”
To monitor your blood, Florence recommends starting by figuring out the issue, and looking at your lifestyle and stress factors.
Technology is advancing quickly, enabling consumers to monitor their internal health from their smartphone – with one option being Grop Health’s Precision Medicine app, which analyses biomarkers taken from wearables, blood draws, health data, and performance assessment diagnostics.
She added: “In order to think about it clearly, you need to work out ‘is there too much stress in your life?’, ‘are the kids interfering?’…
“Also, you can check your blood. It’s very important to know these molecules that are affecting you.
“What’s your cholesterol? What are your sugar [levels]? What is your iron or testosterone?
“Those can affect directly the way you feel and your sex life.
“No one should have to suffer from a lousy, sex life!”
