Part One;
Obesity and Sexual Dysfunction
Julia Fischer
Copyright © 2017 by Julia Fischer
All rights reserved.
Published by Julia Fischer
First Printing: 2017
INTRODUCTION
1. LINKING OBESITY TO SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
2. POSSIBLE SEX DIFFERENCES
3. THE ROLE OF DIRECT FACTORS
4. MEDIATING COMORBIDITIES
5. MEDIATING PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
6. EFFECT OF WEIGHT LOSS AND DIET ON SEXUAL FUNCTION
7. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
REFERENCES
ABBREVIATIONS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Obesity is a global epidemic that negatively affects the physical, emotional, and psychosocial well-being of individuals. Approximately 1 billion people worldwide are overweight and 300 million are obese. To meet the criteria for obesity, a person must weigh 35 pounds over their estimated body mass index [BMI] for what is regarded as a healthy average weight for their height-to-weight ratio [BMI > 30]. A BMI higher than 40 is considered extreme obesity.[1]
Obesity rates worldwide and in the United States are increasing, causing alarm among public health and health care professionals. In the United States specifically, obesity has seen a slow, significant increase from 13.4% to 35.7% from 1960 to 2010. The percentage of US adults considered overweight, obese, or extremely obese in 2010 had reached 75%: approximately 33% were overweight, 36% were obese, and 6% were extremely obese.[2-4]
Obesity has been associated with diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, urinary incontinence, and various cancers and—the focus of this book—sexual dysfunction in men and women.[5] The relation between obesity and sexual function is not fully understood—for example, whether obesity itself increases the risk of sexual problems or whether obesity’s effects on sexual function are mediated primarily through comorbidities. Because obesity is strongly associated with different pathologies, it also imposes significant medical and societal costs, currently estimated at $147-210 billion in the United States.[6,7]
This book attempts to update and evaluate the state of knowledge on the link between obesity and sexual dysfunction. First, we briefly describe the two variables of interest: sexual function and obesity, indicating feasible points of linkage. Second, we (i) examine possible direct links between obesity and sexual response; (ii) discuss potential mediating biological, comorbid, and psychological factors, including sex differences where they exit; and (iii) review studies indicating that weight loss improves sexual functioning in obese individuals. A better understanding of this relation not only might benefit health care professionals who care about the quality of life of their patients but also might serve as a motivator for change toward healthier lifestyles within this population.[8]