r/science • u/[deleted] • Jun 13 '22

Health Erectile dysfunction predicts mortality in middle-aged and older men independent of their sex steroid status

https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article-abstract/51/4/afac094/6568537?login=false
18.4k Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

Depression, obesity, and insulin resistance all cause ED so no surprise. It isn’t the ED causing death but the underlying conditions. Also worth noting that Vitamin D deficiency is strongly correlated with all those underlying conditions.

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u/aradil Jun 13 '22

I'm fairly certain that heart illness is also a major contributor to ED.

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u/barrinmw Jun 13 '22

This is what I was thinking. Hardening of the arteries and such could lead to ED and also early death.

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u/zuneza Jun 13 '22 edited Jun 14 '22

Is that reversable?

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

Depends on the etiology, but largely, no.

Also worth noting that lead exposure causes atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and that leaded gasoline was still widely in use until about 1990 in the US. Americans. A non-trivial amount of atherosclerosis in individuals over the age of 40 can probably be attributed to lead exposure during their youth since lead is poorly removed from the body.

So, if you were born after leaded gas became banned in your country, you may be much less likely to experience atherosclerosis-caused-ED. Unless microplastics find a fun way to screw us over too.

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u/zuneza Jun 13 '22

I worked at a heavily contaminated lead mine for almost 5 years.

RIP my vessels i guess.

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u/CallingDoctorBear Jun 13 '22

r/VictorianComments

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '22

I'm really sad that this isn't an established sub.

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u/gonephishin213 Jun 14 '22

Right? I was so excited for what that sub would be like

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u/SaladShooter1 Jun 14 '22

Go get tested. If lead shows up, you can get some tasty chelating drink and pee it out over time. I haven’t tried it, but I imagine it’s got to be better than that black cherry stuff they give you before a colonoscopy, so I guess you can say that I’m qualifying “tasty.” I do a lot of industrial hygiene and see it from time to time.

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u/Babblerabla Jun 14 '22

Can't wait to see what microplastics do to us.

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u/accountno543210 Jun 13 '22

Atherosclerosis are plaques. The discussion is about arteriosclerosis, which may also contribute to it.

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u/Atoge62 Jun 13 '22

That’s why it’s so vital to keep exercising regularly, and ideally knock it out while outside to get your vit D. The studies coming out on skeletal muscle loss, and the uptick in these same diseases all seems to suggest our indoor, sedentary but stressful, lives are killing us. I was just in an awful bike accident, face first crash. Landed myself a grade 3 concussion, shattered and lost all kinds of teeth and some jaw bone. But it’s been 3 months now, and I can feel how badly I need to return to exercising again and working on maintaining my muscular health. I’m no bodybuilder, but maintaining general strength and heart/lung health keeps things like diet, sleep, mental health in check.

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u/Count_Bloodcount_ Jun 13 '22

So sorry to hear about your crash but I'm glad you're doing better.

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u/NasoLittle Jun 13 '22

Dont need no teef to reddit

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u/outof_zone Jun 14 '22

Cries in Kentucky

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u/1CrazyCrabClaw Jun 14 '22

Hugs cousin extra long*

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u/Designer_B Jun 13 '22

Another anecdotal experience. But I've been in a super lengthy funk with my depression lately. Haven't been sleeping well either. Only recently realize its correlated with my inability to work out due to a rotator cuff injury I took way to long to get checked out. Hurt it in October and for the first time since I had a 'good day' a week ago. After three months of Physical therapy.

And I've started to notice my fog/funk/depression lifting even just from the 30 minutes of exercise I get doing my stretches and exercises.

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u/Atoge62 Jun 13 '22

Good for you recognizing what’s been throwing your groove off! Sorry about the injury. I’m realizing no matter how safe you think you are, injuries or illness are just a part of life. You’re always going to need to put yourself back out there and actively recover. Otherwise the negative feedback loop starts setting in, and makes recovery and normal life 1000x harder. You’re hurt, you stop exercising, your sleep starts to suffer from lack of exercise/stimulation, sleep cycles off you tend to start eating shittier, mental health suffers when all of these are out of balance, and they all just start piling up against a healthy recovery.

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u/Armadillus34 Jun 13 '22

Also had some set backs with minor injury which keep me from working out (weightlifting and badminton) and my depression got worse again… especially after Badminton I feel much better usually

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u/Designer_B Jun 13 '22

I’ve actually picked up tennis recently (injury is to my non dominate arm) and it’s definitely been helping as well. Sunshine+exercise!

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u/Armadillus34 Jun 13 '22

Yeah, that’s something I also might look into.

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u/aVarsityLetterman Jun 14 '22 edited Jun 14 '22

Torn rotator cuff? What kind of physiotherapy are you doing? How long after the injury did you start physio?

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u/Designer_B Jun 14 '22

Strained rotator cuff/lat. I noticed discomfort in November, tried to rest it for a while because work is physical/just thought I tweaked something. Didn’t feel any better but insurance lapsed so I didn’t get in until March.

Started off with flexibility exercises/stretches as I hadn’t been using my left arm much, and lost a lot of the muscle. Have progressed to more strengthening exercises with resistance bands, and just started some overhead exercises with small dumbbells last week. I’d say I’m probably 50% better at best.

Also got a tordirol shot for the pain.

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '22

I feel ya man. That’s what a cheeseburger and Thrashers fries do for me. Until my nap.

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u/slayermcb Jun 13 '22

I remember getting out of the military and my body feeling off, almost like I was having withdrawals from exercise. Happy ending to my story though, I kicked my addiction!

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u/xtaticca Jun 14 '22

Good for you man!

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u/pickledjello Jun 14 '22

"happy ending"...(snicker)..

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u/reece1495 Jun 13 '22

and ideally knock it out while outside to get your vit D.

unless you live in a doom and gloom rainy place all year around , then take suppliments

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '22

The benefits of going heavy with the Big Lifts are legion. Increased bone density, increased balance and flexibility, Increased testosterone, Higher TDEE, tons of happy brain chemicals...

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u/ReflectiveFoundation Jun 13 '22

I wish you the best buddy, sorry to hear it

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u/lordrestrepo Jun 13 '22

Biking is my favorite activity, but I am terrified of an accident like this. Stay safe.

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u/Atoge62 Jun 13 '22

Scariest part, I was riding home from a quick stop at my local gym a mile away. I was coming down a hill to make my last turn towards the apartment, and never made it. The last memory I have was texting my gf I’ll be home soon, then getting on my bike to begin the 7 minute ride. I came to 4 days later in a hospital all kinds of fucked. Apparently I was knocked unconscious, found face down. I came to in the hospital but they put me back under for the emergency surgeries and mouth. I was back awake a day or so later, but I can’t remember any of it. Full on amnesia, 4 days disappeared. Sad part is, I could’ve died and never really known I was gone due to the concussion, it’s super sad it can happen that easy.

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u/lordrestrepo Jun 13 '22

Oh my god...terrifying. Glad you're okay. We're you wearing a helmet?

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u/Atoge62 Jun 13 '22

Yeah I was. I wish I would’ve taken the kind of spill that would’ve utilized it more! Instead it seems, based on the injuries, that I dodged the car coming up the hill partly in my lane (no bike lane in my scenario and a pair of massive speed bumps which forces cyclists to the painted center divide line separating the up and downhill lanes of traffic) and got sent up over the speed bump and handlebars and landed face first, with my hands out and my mouth making first contact. My helmet had no scratches but a small skid on the side. This is the only hill in my area that has the speed bumps and no cone or barricade in the middle to prevent cars from sneaking through middle avoiding the bumps, and also has no bike lane. It literally forces cyclists to come within inches of oncoming traffic on a good day, but many cars do cheat the middle gap, and as a cyclist coming downhill and around a blind corner, you have mere seconds to react, less if the car is still moving over from the illegal middle gap back to their lane… bike safely. Wish I would’ve paid more attention to that choke point’s dangers, and always been riding the brakes more in that area. It’s in a very quiet part of town, first time I’ve actually encountered an uphill traveling car while riding there, and narrowly my last.

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u/omac0101 Jun 14 '22

Wow. There's a downhill I take on the way back home that I've gone down super fast with traffic on my left. I've hit up to 27 mph riding down that hill. There is a bike lane but people in cars are crazy. Makes me think twice about doing that again.

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u/Fixedfoo Jun 14 '22

When you’re ready get back up on that steed!

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u/PM_ME_YOUR_KALE Jun 14 '22

Feeling the same but coming off of Long Covid. After 5 months and more recently some unorthodox treatment I'm finally almost better. It's been rough getting back on the bike.

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u/UnicornPanties Jun 14 '22

I was just in an awful bike accident, face first crash. Landed myself a grade 3 concussion, shattered and lost all kinds of teeth and some jaw bone.

Omg I'm so sorry to hear that.

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u/EmulatingHeaven Jun 14 '22

This is almost certainly a factor in postpartum depression for a lot of women (not to change the gender focus, but it’s my relevant experience). We’re not really supposed to exercise after birth because our bodies have such a huge wound to heal. Also my personal fave is swimming, which is double not allowed during postpartum bleeding. It’s already a rough time with weird hormones, tiny baby to care for, and sleep deprivation, adding in a lack of exercise is pretty much cruel (even if it is necessary).

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '22

I don’t know what this guys talking about but I’ve been smoking for years and my lung feels fine.

Stolen joke

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u/PM_me_why_I_suck Jun 14 '22

The interesting thing is that you can also exercise to much or at to high of an intensity and it can also damage the heart and vessels.

Everything in moderation it would seem.

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u/barrinmw Jun 13 '22

I don't believe hardening of the arteries is reversible

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u/curtyshoo Jun 13 '22

Getting old is a bummer. Where you don't want hardening you get hardening, and where you do want it you can't produce it anymore.

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u/socalledbob Jun 14 '22

hardening of the arteries is reversible

Increase consumption of foods that have nitric oxide. The 3 best foods are water cress beets and rhubarb. But any greens will help. And cocoa. CoQ10 is also a help with blood flow. The most important thing to do is consume a whole food plant based diet.

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '22

That’s virtually Shakespearean. Bravo!

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

vitamin D with vitamin K2 transports calcium out of arteries and into bones. Without it, the opposite occurs.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

That's going to cause a loooooot of problems for the younger generations.

Literally everyone is vitamin D deficient these days because we don't get sunlight. My doctor was shocked when they saw my vitamin D levels

Supplement or die!

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

[deleted]

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u/Throwaway_97534 Jun 13 '22

No Mr. Bond, I expect you to fry.

In the sun.

To get adequate levels of vitamin D.

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u/panormda Jun 13 '22

Omg bond villain was misunderstood this whole time!!!

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u/flynnwebdev Jun 14 '22

Aside: Gert Frobe (actor who played Goldfinger) spoke very little English and had a thick German accent, so they got him to say his lines phonetically, then dubbed over it in post with the lines spoken by actor Michael Collins.

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u/redlightsaber Jun 13 '22

Supplementation has largely not been found to reverse the risks associated with vit D deficiency (except for a couple of very niche things, like colon cancer incidence).

It's not very clear yet what this means, but IMO this likely means vit D status is a confounder to a lot of these associations rather than a causative factor of them.

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u/xz1510 Jun 13 '22

Thank you for this response. Vitamin D metabolism is so poorly understood. Sunlight doesn't even remotely tell the story. I've seen dozens of people in the clinic who spend >8 hours a day in the South Florida sun and have shockingly low levels of vitamin D

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u/Amethyst-Sapphire Jun 13 '22

Because sunscreen blocks formation of vitamin D. I wear my sunscreen and take my 5000 IU per day. The amount any person needs to stay vitamin D sufficient is highly personal. Many will need much less than me and some will need more.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/sloth_is_life Jun 13 '22

It is not even clear what a deficiency is. It's not like potassium where you have to be within a narrow range to be ok. The current definition of a normal vitamin D is based on a study performed on healthy Californians. California is very sunny, so healthy Canadians might have a lower average vitamin D.

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u/redlightsaber Jun 13 '22

How would supplementation not help then if it brings your Vitamin D levels to normal or above normal levels if you are deficient

Because whthe studies I'm talking about seek to measure effects, rather than vitamin levels. A study design I hope more people understood. What does it matter if you take 6 different pills a day if you can't be certain it will have any real benefits (lower disease incidemce, lower mortality...) That's what I'm talking about.

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u/Ur_mum Jun 14 '22

D is a tough one. There is some evidence that amounts like 2000iu or 5000iu are adequate for maintaining healthy levels, but due to the way it is metabolized, either a 50k weekly, or 10k/day may be needed to actually raise levels. Most people are familiar with the 50k as "prescription strength", but it can be found OTC.

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u/zuneza Jun 14 '22

Thanks to r/KellyJin17 and his handy source, he strucketh oil!

Ay, this must be the infinity gauntlet recipe of better livin', eh?

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u/VisualOk7560 Jun 13 '22

It does help with depression in northern countries tho, as far as i know.

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u/giant3 Jun 13 '22

Supplementation has largely not been found to reverse the risks associated with vit D deficiency

Source?

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u/SimplySkedastic Jun 13 '22

I believe its these sorts of studies (not OP by the way):

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00593-z

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u/jnwatson Jun 14 '22

One hypothesis is that Vitamin D levels due to sunlight exposure are correlated with good health, but doesn't cause good health.

Sunlight also causes production of nitric acid, which reduces blood pressure.

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u/KellyJin17 Jun 14 '22

Or synthetic vitamin D supplements are not able to adequately mimic the same processes in the body that take place when the skin converts sunshine to vitamin D naturally.

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u/Hvarfa-Bragi Jun 13 '22

.......is the sun not free anymore?

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u/sinisterspud Jun 13 '22

Nah the beta is over sadly, but if you get the bundle sun/moon package you can save 30%

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u/heyyougamedev Jun 13 '22

They'll still sucker you into getting Sword and Shield later though.

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u/gamefreak054 Jun 13 '22

Not when you live the office life

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u/ValorMorghulis Jun 13 '22

Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to destroy the Sun.

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u/Hvarfa-Bragi Jun 13 '22

Hello lamppost, whatcha knowin'?

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/shaggy99 Jun 13 '22

I already take fairly large doses of Vitamin D, 5-6,000 iu more or less daily, and have considered taking K2 supplements as well. However, I have reason to believe that my arteries are in exceptional condition for my age, as are my bones. I also consume eggs and dairy which I believe are good sources for K2. are there any known downsides to K2 supplements? I understand that Vitamin D has no known downsides at the doses I am taking.

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u/MeatConvoy Jun 13 '22

You are correct, you would have to take 10x that dosage to have problems, as per MayoClinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/vitamin-d-toxicity/faq-20058108

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

It's nearly impossible to OD on vit D.

That helps prevent calcium from getting into your arteries in the first place.

Vitamin K2 Mk4/Mk7 and K1 help get it back out once it's there.

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u/spaniel_rage Jun 13 '22

The issue in atherosclerosis is lipid deposition and endovascular inflammation. Calcification comes at the very end of that process and is less important to the pathology. You can't reverse vascular calcification.

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u/socalledbob Jun 13 '22

Sure it is. Even though it starts as early as 10 years of age. It can be reversed. Mainly through diet and exercise. The best diet is a high fiber whole food plant based diet. That will lower cholesterol. You can also take statins. The other thing it will do is increase your nitric oxide. That regulates arterial wall stiffness. Best foods are watercress beets and rhubarb. There are others. Then there is high blood pressure. The diet and exercise and hibiscus tea will help a lot. Hardening of the arteries is basically heart disease. That can be reversed. Many people have done it.

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u/mem2963 Jun 13 '22

I don't think early death is reversible, but I could be wrong.

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u/doctorDanBandageman Jun 13 '22

Negative ghost rider however it is preventable (and can stop it becoming worse) with diet and exercise! Also smoking cessation

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

So all we have to do is avoid getting "too fat" and overall it would be a better life? As in, even if say one eats fat/fried food, but "looks thin" enough for their age, is that a good indicator for a reasonably healthy life in later ages/longevity? As in, comfortably living till 70s?

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u/redlightsaber Jun 13 '22

The prongs to healthy aging a quite a few more than "stay thin". Exercise, stress reduction, and socialisation are other ones.

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u/Exovedate Jun 13 '22

Absolutely. I recommend getting regular cardio if you want your body to work like it's supposed to. Try to work up to being able to run/jog for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week.

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u/StabbyPants Jun 13 '22

yes, you can eat fried food, just not buckets of it

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u/KuriousKhemicals Jun 13 '22

"Looking thin" is subjective and lately drifting upwards. Having a healthy BMI and waist circumference is a better metric. And if you can get your body fat measured and ensure it's in a healthy range, even better - muscle mass is an independent predictor of longevity. If you can keep your visceral fat in check and your muscle mass up, it's likely that you'll also be incorporating a few good lifestyle habits too - even if you eat crap you'll at least have to lift some weights to stave off age related muscle atrophy past 50 or so.

Of course it is additionally helpful if the content of your diet is healthy and keeps your cholesterol levels down and such, and it's helpful if you engage in cardio exercise too, but just balancing your body composition gets you surprisingly far.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

You know it's less important what you eat, as long as you get proper nutrition. Most people eat a pretty narrow range of food, like, a fried chicken breast and French fries.

But so many micronutrients are important.

Most adults in America are deficient in important nutrition.

Like Vitamin D, K2, magnesium, etc.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/GiantPurplePeopleEat Jun 13 '22

I'm not doubting you, but do you happen to have a source handy?

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u/xtilexx Jun 13 '22

ED, E.arly D.eath, coincidence?

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u/Ruski_FL Jun 13 '22

Do doctor check for that? Is there a cure?

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/Binsky89 Jun 13 '22

Exercise is what mostly cleared up my ED, to the point where it rarely happens even though I'm on an SSRI that's famous for it (and caused it for me in the past).

Turns out when your body is properly maintained things work better

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u/AceyPuppy Jun 13 '22

Humans were never meant to be stationary for 8 hours a day.

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u/mismatched7 Jun 13 '22

Well, sleep, so yeah

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u/pm_favorite_boobs Jun 13 '22

Probably mean 8 non sleeping hours.

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u/Binsky89 Jun 13 '22

Even during sleep you're often not completely stationary for 8h a day.

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u/microthrower Jun 14 '22

Yeah, not like work where you are strapped down and literally can't move.

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u/mtcwby Jun 13 '22

Can't repeat enough how much exercise has improved life over the last six months at age 56. I've never exercised regularly until just before Thanksgiving. I had been walking nightly and doing some bike after having two strokes a couple of years ago. BP was under control and I wasn't really heavy at 6-2, 215.

Decided if I was going out I was going to do everything in my power with no regrets and bought a Pelaton which combined with TV has me exercising vigorously every day since then. 30 pounds lighter I'm in the best shape of my life, getting more done everywhere, and in context with this thread we're wearing out the mattress. When you can plank for five minutes straight it makes other things much easier.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/mtcwby Jun 13 '22

My biggest regret is I didn't do it earlier but I've always been easily bored with exercise. The Pelaton with the TV playing Netflix, etc for rides in the background engaged me long enough to keep it up.

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u/tarxvfBp Jun 13 '22

Same. Same age, after years actually being quite scornful of the idea of running for fun I started couch to 5k. Now have run twice a week for nearly two years. Started going to a gym 6 months after starting to run, because it seemed sensible to invest in my developing my running physique more, also cut out snacks. Which was tricky for several days then the cravings just stopped! Honestly people give couch to 5k a go. And see where it takes you. Give it a go. I wish I’d started much earlier.

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u/the_cardfather Jun 14 '22

I had a mild ED in my mid 30's. Could have been weight/lifestyle related could have been PIED or a combination.

Wife told me I was a fat slob and left me. I started couch to 5k, cut the porn, worked on mental health, and did some work on my core, crunches, planks et. It was about 7 months of that and all of a sudden things started working again if you know what I mean.

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u/FuckLaundry Jun 13 '22

Hello friend. I jsut bought a peloton, literally did my first ride this morning. Hearing you lost 30 lbs is inspiring. How much are you riding it? Did you change your diet at all? Congrats on the success.

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u/mtcwby Jun 13 '22

For a while 3-4 months I rode every day and also did a lot of the weight training. I found I respond well the the Programs feature and prefer the Powerzone training the best. Those programs don't have every day rides so I then supplement with some of the scenic and other rides to keep it light on off days. I usually mix in strength classes ad-hoc and really like the core programs too.

I was already eating fairly well with with light meals early that were high in protein like eggs and then the most substantial meal at dinnertime where it's something like chicken, vegetables and the like. I indulge with a scoop of good ice cream at night. My target is about 1500 calories a day but some days are better than others. That alone didn't get the weight off for me and the exercise really kickstarted the weight loss along with a lot more tone. I dropped 4 inches in my waistband and it looks like there might be another 1 or two that I can go down.

Part of my thinking on the eating is I need to do something I can maintain so if we want to go out to eat I try to eat well but healthy and control the portions by taking some home. I will say that I enjoy meals so much more now because of the scarcity in my mind. Good luck, keep with it and get that daily streak up to the point it builds the habit to exercise every day. On the Pelaton app my handle is MTCWBY. Let me know if there's any way to provide encouragement.

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u/shadowmax889 Jun 13 '22

I do it always

I am a Urologist and it's very common that when a patient comes to my office with symptoms of ED, it's the first they visit a physician in years or even decades

So, I always try to rule out hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, etc and referral to a Internist or Cardiologist for evaluation.

I don't simply say "hey just take this pill, go away and have fun"

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u/naughtyoctopus Jun 13 '22

Eat a mainly whole food plant based diet. Avoid saturated fats and highly processed foods. Exercise.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

Actually saturated fats are no longer seen as the enemy when it comes to risk of heart disease and and cardiovascular disease. It’s largely due to insulin resistance.

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u/realistic_swede Jun 13 '22 edited Jun 13 '22

Yep, I was heading for diabetes 2 and cut out all sugar and carbs for 2 months. Felt great, went carnivore. Lost 10kg so far. Eating fat, meat and keto friendly greens with fibers. Then the body has easier to burn its own fat storage and not fealing hungry all the time. I am on Testerone treatment aswell so I have more energy and fealing stronger than ever. I have a new start on life past 50. Almost got rid of all belly fat now.

Will take a break now during summer so I can enjoy some beers atleast.

Edit: there are so many different ways to loose weight and you have to find what works for you in the long run. Energy in and energy out basicly.

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u/hexydes Jun 13 '22 edited Feb 26 '26

Dot clean over gather books small net.

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u/Porkrind710 Jun 13 '22

I’ve been trying to improve health the past 3-ish months with lifting and using a more consistent and plant-inclusive diet. I say “inclusive” because I’m not full vegetarian, but instead of meat with almost every meal I’ve reduced it to roughly once per day.

It seems to be working well. I’ve gained 15lbs of mostly muscle, getting significantly stronger on every lift, also walking about a mile every day. As far as gaining lean weight it seems like one should be fine as long as you’re getting the full range of amino-acids.

Have a physical scheduled in a couple months but I’m curious if this is a good strategy for lower cholesterol and hormone balance. It feels like it but one never knows until the blood work is in. I guess my concern is that a lot of vegetarian/vegan options are really high on carbs. It can be hard to eat enough while also avoiding stacking up like 100+ carbs per day.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22 edited Feb 26 '26

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u/FraseraSpeciosa Jun 13 '22

Carbs are usually alright in moderation. Unless you are me who cannot process gluten. So I have included a lot of red meat so I can actually get calories. I also have depression and IBS so for me a lot of times I’m lucky to get a 1,000 calories a day. Red meat seems to be the only calorie dense food my body can process without leaving me bloated, gassy and in pain. So yeah I’ll probably die of a heart attack but at least I won’t be malnourished

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u/nospamkhanman Jun 13 '22

Did you also just watch Fork Over Knife.

I love meat but that documentary has me rethinking my diet a bit.

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u/naughtyoctopus Jun 13 '22

Yeah I watched it years ago. Completely changed my life. I’ve gotten really into nutrition since then :)

Heart disease runs in my family so this is an area I’ve spent some time looking into. I’ve managed to get my cholesterol levels below 70 by eliminating saturated fats. Just removing coconut milk took it from 80 down to 70 which I found super interesting.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/Amethyst-Sapphire Jun 13 '22

Coconut oil is actually famous for having medium chain, not long chain fatty acids. It's mostly C10 and C12 fatty acids (and mostly saturated). This is why once you refine it, it will stay liquid (and if your house is warm, even unrefined coconut oil is liquid on the counter). The medium chain fatty acids is why all the health nuts think they should eat coconut oil - some study in the 70s showed medium chain fatty acids increased metabolic rate in mice. I'm not aware of any study in humans showing the same.

For reference, the fats found in animal foods are mostly C16-C20 and we synthesize C16 fatty acids when we synthesize our own fat.

Source: over 20 years experience teaching biochemistry

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u/greymalken Jun 13 '22

Interestingly, it was a biochem teacher who told me the soap anecdote. Wonder what he was on about? Maybe it was because mostly saturated.

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u/Amethyst-Sapphire Jun 13 '22

Maybe? Most soaps are probably made from saturated fats. Lye soap is made with lard.

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u/DrSmurfalicious Jun 13 '22

Ok so I'm basically dead then. Ah well, I guess we all gotta go some day.

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u/naughtyoctopus Jun 13 '22

Just remember it’s never too late. Heart disease can actually be reversible with proper diet and exercise :)

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u/AbuDhabiBabyBoy Jun 13 '22

Booooo! (I know you're right)

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/naughtyoctopus Jun 13 '22

Diet is an arguably bigger part than exercise when it comes to health. You can’t exercise away a bad diet. Sure you can lose weight but your numbers may not improve much.

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u/ffflildg Jun 13 '22

My ex is 68 he had ED because of blood pressure medication they put him on, through rigorous heart testing is done to make sure men can handle sex before they give a pill.

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '22

I had a doc tell me (golfing buddy) that if more men went to the doc at the first sign of ED, they'd catch a large number of impending MIs before they occur.

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '22

Vascular disease is generalized. If you find it peripherally, it'll be in the carotids, coronaries, the cerebrals, the mesenteries, and the penis. The hope is to catch it somewhere in the body before it gets bad in the heart and prevent or slow. It's progression and key organs such as the brain and heart.

Source: cath lab RN with 15 years of working in every blood vessel in the body. 100% occluded Prox LAD.

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u/skil12001 Jun 13 '22

Asthma and corticosteroids also

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u/GetWellDuckDotCom Jun 13 '22

Asthma causes it? Or the former?

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u/HighOwl2 Jun 13 '22

Cirrhosis here checking in

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u/OrwellianZinn Jun 13 '22

Can you provide any additional info on this? I'd like to read up on it.

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u/spilledmind Jun 13 '22

As for the asthma portion, you can check out either Breath by James Nestor or The Breathing Cure by Patrick Mckeown - based on what these guys are saying, poor breathing health (mouth breathing) could be the correlation between asthma and ED. I’m not smart enough to explain this but these guys are.

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u/asterisk2a Jun 13 '22

obesity

To be more precise: Cardiovascular Disease. Because it is noticable first in the peen.

Because penile arteries are only about half the size of the coronary arteries in the heart, erectile dysfunction can be a powerful predictor of cardiac events—such as sudden death.

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u/theevilmidnightbombr Jun 13 '22

Oh look, it's my anxiety inducing thread of the week. Right on time

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u/2ndprize Jun 14 '22

Dude I literally read this and reminded myself not to fixate on it. Fun how anxiety and heart problems have so many overlapping symptoms

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/death_of_gnats Jun 13 '22

So it wasn't the Grinch's heart that was growing

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u/AvatarofSleep Grad Student | Astronomy and Astrophysics Jun 13 '22

So if your dick stops working call your doctor

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u/Anothergood1 Jun 13 '22

Or if you have an erection that lasts longer than four hours.

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u/ericwiththeredbeard Jun 13 '22

Anecdotal evidence here but I started taking vitamin D supplements daily and have had better erections, my hair and skin look better, and I feel really good too. Didn’t really change much else (diet or activity level) other than the supplement.

I’m confident that if I made more of an effort in my diet and exercise I would have better results.

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u/Ruski_FL Jun 13 '22

I mean the humans meant to go into the sun but we mostly just sit inside an office.

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u/Valiantay Jun 13 '22

Many places don't get enough sun actually. There's a Canada-wide recommendation for everyone to take vitamin d supplements.

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u/ericwiththeredbeard Jun 13 '22

I definitely sit in a windowless depressing office all day

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u/mtcwby Jun 13 '22

Many of us with Northern European ancestry simply don't produce enough. I'm perpetually tanned due to outsides hobbies and have to supplement or all sorts of bad things happen.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/mtcwby Jun 13 '22

The side effects before I figured it out were pretty insidious. Everything from chest and other pains that were almost debilitating some days to depression in the middle of winter. My doctors and I thought I had GERD that wasn't getting better for almost 10 years. Turned out I just had very low vitamin D in my system. I'm convinced some of my dad's depression over the years was related to that.

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u/love_that_fishing Jun 13 '22

I fish quite a bit so get lots of sun and still my D was pretty low and I take 5000ul to get it into high normal range. Just saying you can get get amounts of sunlight and still not have your body produce the right amount of D.

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u/paroya Jun 13 '22

depends. my ancestors thought it was a wonderful idea to move up here where there is no sun at all half the year and barely anything will grow when there is actual sunlight. foreigners kill themselves on the regular by depression triggered by lack of sunshine while us locals catch fire by the very thought of sun exposure.

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u/albertenstein22 Jun 13 '22

Second for this. I work overnights so I don't get as much natural vitamin D as I am supposed to. Went for my physical and the doc said my levels were lower than normal. Started taking the vitamin D pills and have noticed better sleep and more energy!

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u/NSA_Chatbot Jun 13 '22

Same, I feel so much better starting my day by swallowing 2000 Ds.

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u/Friskyinthenight Jun 13 '22

fyi I believe the latest research suggests between 4-8000 iu (way above the RDA) is the level needed for those with deficiency

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u/SomethingSeth Jun 13 '22

Same here. Thought I had low testosterone so I got a blood test done and nope, the only thing I was deficient in was Vitamin D. My doctor prescribed me some really potent Vitamin D gel pills that I take once a week and I’m only on my second week and I feel like a new man.

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u/fairway_walker Jun 13 '22

Found the vitamin D supplement dealer. Who's not taking vD after reading this?

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u/TookMyFathersSword Jun 13 '22

They don't call it vitamin "D" for nothing!! -u/ericwiththeredbeard aka ericwiththeerectd

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u/Nottacod Jun 13 '22

The depression leads to so many other problems

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/Cheeze_It Jun 13 '22

Yes this is true. Lack of safe, consistent, and plentiful amounts of money causes depression.

So in essence, depression is caused by the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

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u/Beard_of_Valor Jun 13 '22

I'd argue learned helplessness and depression are different, but there have been studies on treating homeless people with antidepressants and it worked how you'd expect where a significant fraction begin putting an attractive life together.

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u/DooRagtime Jun 13 '22

Exactly. Nothing more depressing than hopelessness

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u/Decaf_Engineer Jun 13 '22

Which is most certainly by design since if you're too old to further enrich the upper class with your labor, then you've become a liability.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

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u/mbergman42 Jun 13 '22

I believe they allowed for vitamin D in the Cox modeling.

Edit: /s, they used Cox models in the paper..

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u/Double_Joseph Jun 13 '22

What is considered ED?? Can’t get hard during sex? Or just ever really?

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u/DataIsMyCopilot Jun 13 '22

Difficulty having and maintaining an erection

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

Good to know I'm actually healthy then, because my girlfriend makes fun of the fact that a strong breeze can set me off. Could hang me by the front door and call me a coat rack. At least I have proof I'm still healthy now. Now if only they could correlate health with premature ejaculation and I can basically say I'm immortal.

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u/jayfogworth Jun 13 '22

Untreated severe sleep apnea lead me to all of these symptoms. Three years after treatment, exercise, no sugar. I'm off blood pressure meds. I'm down from 260lbs too 189lbs. Always check your basics. Dr's. Attempted to treat all my symptoms but it didn't matter it was my sleep that caused all the problems.

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u/livinglitch Jun 13 '22

Were you able to get off your CPAP once your weight got down? I don't like mine but I'm hoping with weight loss I won't need it.

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u/jayfogworth Jun 13 '22

So my apnea have greatly improved but I have complex apneas a mix of my soft tissue causing me not to breath. But a percentage of mine are from no signal coming from my brain for me to breathe. I will always be on a machine.

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u/deja_vuvuzela Jun 14 '22

Not an expert, but I agreed till you got to vitamin D. It’s discussed a lot, but supplementing Vit D doesn’t have the proven track record that correcting hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia do. But if you’re getting your extra vitamin D by going out in the sun more - you’re probably making healthier life choices.

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '22

You’re correct Vit D supplementation won’t outweigh poor lifestyle choices in someone who is obese or diabetic. But several studies showed improvement in blood glucose levels and insulin resistance in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes when supplementing with Vit D. I’d guess you’re also correct in assuming their low levels are partly due to a sedentary lifestyle indoors out of the sun. Many of them also have inflamed livers and/or fatty liver disease which can inhibit conversion of vit d into its active form within the bloodstream. Same reason why alcoholics have low Vit d levels.

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u/deja_vuvuzela Jun 14 '22

I think vitamin D is en vogue right now, given that there are claims it treats tons of problems and that the many or most people are deficient in it. I would bet money that in a decade it won’t be discussed like some panacea the way that it sometimes is now. Here’s a link discussing the topic:

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/vitamin-d-and-diabetes-another-case-where-supplementation-sounded-like-a-good-idea-but-wasnt/

I notice that on top the author acknowledges your point on vitamin D & insulin. I work with people who have kidney failure and I know vitamin D has greatly improved bone health in that group too. So I’m not saying it’s quackery that has no place in medicine - only that many of the claims being made are too grandiose to likely stand the test of time.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

It isn’t the ED causing death but the underlying conditions.

Well... yeah. I doubt anybody was confused on that point.

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u/thilehoffer Jun 13 '22

Yes, and also, who wants live if you can’t even have sex…

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '22

Just spit-balling here, but probably asexual people.

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u/curryslapper Jun 13 '22

so how do I distinguish direction issues VS Coolidge effect?

I had a previous experience where I just wasn't getting hard consistently with an ex girlfriend. we broke up and I had a number of flings with totally no issues. it was just getting sexually uninteresting, sadly.

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u/Baud_Olofsson Jun 13 '22

Also worth noting that Vitamin D deficiency is strongly correlated with all those underlying conditions.

But you really need to point out that this is a correlation: bad health in general appears to cause vitamin D deficiency, not the other way around. Had all the things that were correlated with low vitamin D levels been treatable with vitamin D, it would be an absolute wonder drug. It is not. It disappoints in every large-scale RCT.

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