Health gem

If you do one thing this week . . . avoid obesity forthe sake of your sex life

Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. But did you know that in men it has also been linked to erectile dysfunction?

A study published last year compared statistics from more than 4,600 men, aged between 18 and 69, who were living in France, and found that carrying excess weight increased the risks of erectile problems.

According to the authors in the British Medical Journal, compared to normal weight men, obese men were 2.58 times more likely and overweight men were 2.69 times more likely to experience erectile dysfunction in the past 12 months.