Sexual health, adherence to Mediterranean diet, body weight, physical activity and mental state: factors correlated to each other.

INTRODUCTION: Mediterranean diet has shown a protective role against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer onset, microvascular damage and dementia in many trials. Our purpose is the assessment of a correlation between physical activity, Mediterranean diet, body mass index (BMI), depression and erection disorder (ED).

METHODS: After having signed disclaimer to the study participation, we administered the IIEF 15 questionnaire (International Index of Erectil Function), the Hamilton questionnaire for major depression, the Med-Diet Questionnaire, the Ipaq Questionnaire (International Index of Physical Activity) to 245 patients and calculated the BMI. Only 141 were eligible. We excluded patients with a history of smoking, with obesity from the second grade to rise, anorexia, hyperlipidemia, Induratio Penis Plastica, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurological disease, hypogonadism, prostatitis, diabetes, hypertension, psychiatric diseases and the history of radical prostatectomy and finally age >72 and <50 years or who were taking cholesterol-lowering medication. Patients were divided into two groups: 65 patients without ED and 76 patients with ED.

RESULTS: We found a statistically difference in BMI between the groups. Adherence to Med-Diet showed a significant difference between the two groups at Student t-test and the Chi-square test. The Ipaq test and Hamilton test did not show statistical differences between the two groups neither for Student t-test nor for Chi-square test, but high levels seem to be protective factors.

CONCLUSIONS: Body weight and a healthy diet are protective factors against the ED, more than a sufficient physical activity. Depression has shown only a worsening tendency of the erection.