HEALTHY LIVING


Fading Love Life? Help for Erectile Dysfunction


A


ging takes its toll, and one of its most distressing side eff ects is a fl agging love life. “Many adults


— particularly men — become concerned with the waning of their virility as they age,” Dr. Russell Blaylock, neurosurgeon and wellness expert, says. Many factors aff ect sexual function,


including stress and decreasing levels of testosterone. (Testosterone levels begin dropping after the age of 30 at about 1% each year.) Erectile dysfunction (ED) plagues


older men, but it also can occur at any age. Some common causes include heart disease, clogged blood vessels, diabetes, and obesity. And


while testosterone medications might seem to be the answer to erectile dysfunction, they come with risks. Prescription testosterone can


contribute to sleep apnea, acne, reduced sperm production, an enlarged prostate, and to slowing production of the body’s own testosterone. It can also spur the spread of prostate cancer. Fortunately, there are supplements


that can boost the production of testosterone and help cope with some of the most common causes of ED to give your love life a boost. They include: DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone).


This hormone, which is produced by the adrenal glands, is broken down by the body into a hormone called androstenedione, which is then changed into testosterone and estrogen. “By age 60 a man possesses


only one-third the level he had as a young man,” says Blaylock, author of The Blaylock Wellness Report. He recommends everyone over 50 have DHEA levels tested, and if they are low, to take 10 mg daily. Vitamin D. Although it’s called


a vitamin, vitamin D is actually a hormone. A majority of Americans are defi cient, especially seniors. A three-year study of older men


published in Hormone and Metabolic Research found that men who had higher levels of vitamin D also had higher levels of free testosterone. L-arginine. L-arginine is an amino


acid that helps fi ght ED by making nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide relaxes smooth muscles around blood vessels and dilates vessels, letting more oxygen-rich blood fl ow to the penis, which allows for an erection. A study published in the Journal


of Sex & Marital Therapy found that when 1,700 mg of L-arginine were combined with 40 mg of pycnogenol (a form of pine bark), the success rate for helping erectile dysfunction was 80%. Folic acid. A 2016 study of 120


men found that males suff ering from erectile dysfunction had much lower levels of serum folic acid than the control group. The connection between low folic acid and ED also appeared in a 2018 study published in the journal The Aging Male. Researchers concluded that a folic acid defi cit may directly impair a man’s sexual function. Lifestyle changes are also


important for men suff ering from ED, according to experts. Physical fi tness is a big factor, as is reducing anxiety and depression. In addition, men who smoke cigarettes should stop, as the toxins damage blood vessels.


By age 60 a man possesses only one-third the level of DHEA he


had as a young man.” — Dr. Russell Blaylock


94 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | JULY 2025


COURTNEYK©ISTOCK


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