Men Who Exercise Have Longer-Lasting Erections, Study Shows

Men who exercise are more likely to perform better in bed. New findings published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine show that this includes fuller and long-lasting erections, regardless of race.

"This study is the first to link the benefits of exercise in relation to improved erectile and sexual function in a racially diverse group of patients," said Adriana Vidal, PhD, senior author of the study and investigator in the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute and Department of Surgery, in a news release. 

For the study, 300 participants self-reported their activity levels while researchers categorized them as sedentary, mildly active, moderately active or highly active. Subjects also self-reported their sexual function that included their number of orgasms, erections and frequency of erections and overall sexual function.

Previous studies like this have been conducted in the past. However, African Americans were underrepresented during this time.

Findings revealed that men who reported more frequent exercise, or a total of 18 metabolic equivalents, or METS per week, had higher sexual function scores, regardless of race. Furthermore, MET hours reflected the total time of exercise and intensity of exercise, with a total of 18 MET hours achieved when combining exercises at different intensities; this was equal to the equivalent of two hours of strenuous exercise, including running or swimming at 3.5 hours at moderate speeds, or six hours of light exercise.

Regardless of ethnicity, those who reported exercising less also reported lower levels of sexual function. Similarly, these men were also at a higher risk of diabetes, typically older in age and past or current smoking and coronary artery disease.

"When it comes to exercise, there is no one-size-fits-all approach," concluded Stephen Freedland, MD, co-author on the study and director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle in the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, who also serves as co-director of the Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program. "However, we are confident that even some degree of exercise, even if less intense, is better than no exercise at all."