Obese people who lose weight enjoy better sex lives

Featured Article
Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 18 Oct 2005 - 15:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

If you are obese and then lose weight you will not only look and feel better, most likely your sex life will improve significantly, say researchers from Duke University. Apparently, even if you lose just ten per cent of your bodyweight, the quality of your sex life will improve.

The study, led by Martin Binks, looked at the benefits to 160 obese women and 26 obese men. They were monitored for two years - data was gathered every three months. The participants filled in a questionnaire called Impact of Weight on Quality of Life.

Over the two-year period the participants lost, on average, about 13% of their body weight.

Nearly all the participants, according to Martin Binks, had problems with all areas of sexual quality of life. The researchers found that these problems started to melt away as the pounds began to be shed - there was a clear correlation.

Over two thirds of the women at the beginning of the trial said they saw themselves as 'sexually unattractive'. This figure dropped to just one quarter. Fear of being seen naked affected 62% of the volunteers at the beginning, and only 34% at the end.

Binks and team said similar encouraging results were also noted among the male participants. However, they added that as there were only 26 male participants, further studies are needed.

The results of the trial were presented at the North American Assocaition for the Study of Obesity, Vancouver, USA.

http://www.naaso.org
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today