Expert shares five lifestyle changes to improve sex life and boost stamina

There are simple changes you can make to boost your love life.

Many folks know that a healthy diet and active lifestyle is good for physical health, but they may not realise how crucial it is for a better love life. The connection between diet and sexual performance has been widely studied.

With obesity and diabetes on the rise, more Brits are now facing sexual dysfunction than ever before. With 4.3 million people in the UK now living with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (and at least another million undiagnosed), understanding how it affects all aspects of our lives is becoming increasingly important.

For blokes, those with diabetes are three times more likely to have trouble getting an erection. Up to 75% of those with diabetes will experience erectile dysfunction at some point in their lives, and are likely to develop the condition between 10 and 15 years earlier than men who don’t.

This could be linked to diets high in sugar and refined carbs, which trigger spikes in blood sugar and damage blood vessels. Over time, this could lead to problems achieving or maintaining an erection, which could have a significant impact on a man’s quality of life, self-esteem and relationships.

For women, common sex-related issues associated with type 2 diabetes include vaginal dryness and yeast infections, due to hormonal changes, reduced blood flow to genitals and high blood sugar levels.

While there are plenty of pills and potions out there to help with bedroom issues, like boosting blokes’ boners, pharmacist Graham Phillips, also known as “the pharmacist who gave up drugs”, reckons it’s better to tackle the root causes rather than just covering up the symptoms with meds. He’s shared five lifestyle tweaks that can improve your overall health, ramp up your sexual stamina and lead to a more satisfying sex life.

Get moving

This includes high-intensity workouts (get your heart racing), resistance training (using weights or just your own body weight) and functional exercises like brisk walking and dancing. Regular exercise is key for increasing blood flow in the body, which is exactly what your naughty bits need to work properly.

Research shows that staying active could help men dodge erectile dysfunction and boost sexual arousal in women.

Get enough kip

Sleep is vital for keeping your metabolism in check. Messed up sleep patterns or hitting the hay late (after midnight) can mess with your metabolism, and affect your body’s ability to control blood sugar levels.

Cut back on carbs

Even so-called “healthy wholegrains” – like wholewheat – can cause your sugar levels to spike. Also, avoid “carb loading” (stuffing your body with carbs – often unhealthy ones and sugars) before working out, as a way to keep your energy levels up.

Avoid junk food

It can harm your blood vessels. Instead, munch on high-quality foods, including “good” fats. Cutting down on sugar, refined grains and highly processed food is much more effective for weight loss than counting calories and exercising daily.

Cut back on smoking and alcohol

Men who smoke are about twice as likely to develop erectile dysfunction than men who don’t, as smoking disrupts circulation to all areas of the body. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s messengers that tell the penis to fill with blood.

Graham – a successful pharmacist of 35 years – turned his back on drugs after seeing more of his patients getting and staying sick, whilst medication just masked the issues rather than solving them. From this frustration, ProLongevity was born and has now helped people reverse pre-diabetes and halt type 2 diabetes in its tracks, through lifestyle changes.

It’s not just about “stopping diabetes” and lengthening life, but ensuring those extra years are spent in better health and this includes maintaining a healthy sex life, for those who want to.

ProLongevity is a completely personalised service that analyses your health data, offers precision nutrition and provides bespoke support from a human health professional, to help people reset their metabolic health in eight weeks.

Graham said: “Sexual dysfunction is a common problem that affects millions of Brits. However, it is not an inevitable occurrence as we age, but an indication of a broader set of health issues. That’s why maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial for a satisfying sex life.

“At ProLongevity, our mission is to address the root cause of health issues. We create nutrition and lifestyle plans that are unique to people’s personal biology.

“This process of ‘Precision Nutrition’ tackles the source of issues including sexual dysfunction and other health problems, in as little as eight weeks.”