Why All the Fuss about Sex?
If your doctor could accurately predict the future of your health simply by looking at your medical history, wouldn't you want to know - so you could act BEFORE it's too late?

Too bad insurance-based primary care doesn't use that approach... at least, not when it comes to your sexual health. Rather than treating erectile dysfunction as a medical condition worthy of treatment, they have written off sexual disorders as a mere "quality-of-life" issue.

Today you'll see why ED is not only a medical condition that requires your attention, but also a precursor to serious diseases. And, you'll find steps to take today to improve your health for tomorrow.

Study Finds ED a Precursor to Life-Threatening Diseases
New evidence links men with ED and those who develop diseases-especially heart disease. In fact, they all have the same risk factors:


Hypertension
High cholesterol
High triglycerides
Diabetes
Sedentary lifestyle
Cigarette smoking
Obesity
Depression

If you suffer from any of the conditions listed above, there's a good chance you could soon suffer from ED, and later down the road, cardio vascular disease (CVD).

The connection between ED and heart disease is pretty straightforward: When plaque builds up in your arteries, blood flow decreases. But sexual excitement causes a demand for greater blood flow. Under normal conditions, the inner lining of your blood vessels release nitric oxide, causing the blood vessels to expand. This expansion enables more blood flow, which helps you get an erection.

When your blood vessels harden, as in the case of heart disease, no expansion can take place. And as a result, getting and maintaining an erection becomes difficult.

In many cases, ED is telling you that blood vessels elsewhere in your body aren't expanding as they should. In other words, you're at risk for a heart attack.

Have a look at the graph below. A recent study of 28 million people found an increased disease rate in men with ED.

Percentage of Men with ED who also Have Medical Disease
Hypertension
42%

Diabetes
20%

Hyperlipidemia
42%

Depression
11%

One or More of These Conditions
12% - 14%


Nearly half of men with ED also suffer from hypertension and hyperlipidemia. One-fifth of men with ED have diabetes. Approximately 1 out of every 10 men with ED suffers from depression or anxiety. And this study-which followed 9,457 men over a 7-year period-also concluded: erectile dysfunction is a good indication of CV events to come later in a man's life.1

The Time to Take Action is NOW!
This newly-recognized link between patients with ED and heart disease confirms what I wrote in The T-Factor years ago-that a man's sexual health plays a significant role in determining his cardio vascular health, and vice versa.

It also provides a unique opportunity to screen for shared risk factors, and to take action accordingly to prevent the onset of more serious conditions later in life. (But don't hold your breath for organized medicine to make the connection.)

High Protein: Your First Line of Defense
Think back to the times of our ancient ancestors. Do you think cavemen ever had a hard time getting it up? Probably not. Heart disease was unheard of. And with no processed foods, their testosterone levels stayed high. And they had the advantage of eating a high protein, low-carb diet. Protein is essential for the production of sex hormones.

To get the maximum amount of protein, focus on the "big four:" meat, wild fish, eggs and nuts.

Red meat: I consider beef to be among the most nutritious foods. The protein is complete and it's a good source of creatine. Creatine makes you stronger and more energetic. Red meat is also the best source of the nutrient CoQ10, which is essential for heart health. And knowing that there's a strong connection between ED and heart disease, it makes sense that CoQ10 also plays an important role in sexual health. I recommend eating grass-fed beef. It has 20 times more of the important omega-3 fatty acids than commercial beef and none of the hormones.

Wild fish: You've probably heard that fish can be a source of mercury and other toxins. However, you can minimize these risks and enjoy the benefit of this rich source of omega-3s by choosing wild Alaskan salmon, mackerel, trout, or sardines. Chose wild over farm-raised and small over large fish. The highest levels of mercury are in swordfish, shark and king mackerel and tuna.

Eggs: Eggs are the perfect food. I eat them every day. Sure, they contain cholesterol. They don't even raise your blood cholesterol. Sure, eggs contain cholesterol. The developing embryo needs it to produced sex hormones-and so do you. But just because they contain it, doesn't mean they'll raise your cholesterol levels. The bottom line: Eggs do not cause heart disease. In fact, there was never any evidence they did.

Egg yolks have all required fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), iron, and heart healthy omega-3 fat. The whites have all the water-soluble B vitamins and are the source of the highest quality protein on the face of the planet.

Nuts: Nuts are rich in healthy monounsaturated fat. Walnuts and almonds among the most nutritious with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, fiber, potassium, and other minerals. Other good choices are pecans, macadamias, cashews, and brazil nuts. Enjoy them as a snack instead of chips or crackers.

Other factors like excessive drinking and smoking also have a negative effect on both your performance and stamina. A few drinks will put you in the mood, but too many will make you useless. And smoking will tighten your blood vessels making them too narrow to channel the amount of blood you need for an erection.

Why a Strong Heart Helps You in the Bedroom
Following a high protein diet will not only help you in the bedroom, it will keep your heart healthy too. And an explosive new study shows that a healthy heart may be your ticket to a long and satisfying sex life.

Scientists at the University of South Carolina discovered a link between HDL (good) cholesterol and ED. As I've been saying all along, your HDL level is the most important factor in determining your risk for heart disease. Now, that advice is proving to be just as important in the bedroom.

The doctors in South Carolina found that men with an HDL level of 60 mg/dl drastically reduced their chance of having ED. Men with an HDL level of 30 mg/dl, were 66 percent more likely to develop a problem with ED.2

L-Arginine: Nature's Hydraulic Pump
L-arginine is a powerful amino acid your body makes naturally. In your arteries, arginine increases nitric oxide (NO). NO helps keep your endothelial cells healthy. Without NO, your vessels become constricted and less flexible. Healthy endothelial cells allow your vessels to dilate so your heart can move blood easier.

Arginine helps blood vessels function better in chronic heart failure. In one study, vessel dilation increased from 2.2% to 8.8% with an arginine supplement.3 Another study found that taking oral arginine helped arteries dilate better for people with high blood pressure.3

Not only does L-arginine improve cholesterol levels, relieve heart-related chest pains (angina), and control blood pressure, it can also help you get an erection.

An erection depends on the expansion of blood vessels. The gas molecule that helps cause this expansion is nitric oxide. Released by the inner lining of your blood vessels, nitric oxide helps to relax smooth muscle tissue and expand the blood vessels in your penis. L-arginine helps create nitric oxide in your penis - just like it does for your heart.

Current studies support the use of L-arginine to ensure that the level of nitric oxide is high enough to keep5 flowing to the penis. One study showed an 80 percent improvement in erectile function for men who took 2.8 grams of L-arginine for two weeks.4

Another study, which specifically focused on men with ED, showed that more than 1/3 of the men who took 5 grams of L-arginine for five weeks reported a significant improvement.5

Your Own Supplement Program for Better Sex...
and Better Health
If you're interested in supplementing with L-arginine, I suggest starting with a loading dose of 5 grams daily for two weeks. Then take 2.5 grams daily for maintenance. Never exceed 10 grams a day.

For best results, combine with a healthy dose (25 mcg) of vitamin B12, and a few of the following herbs. I've had great success with them over the years.

Because arginine is an amino acid, proteins compete with its absorption. For this reason, you shouldn't take it with meals. Instead, take it between meals on a relatively empty stomach. Simply take a teaspoon of powder mix it with water and swig it down the hatch.

The link between sexual health and general health is explored in much greater details with many more practical solutions in 12 Secrets to Virility.

_____________________

1 Payne, R. Not Just a Quality of Life Issue. Cardio Vascular Health & Erectile Dysfunction. Dec 2006.
2 Wei M, Macera CA, et al. “Total cholesterol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol as important predictors of erectile dysfunction,” Am J Epidemiol 1994; 140(10): 930-937
3 Lekakis JP, et al. "Oral L-arginine improves endothelial dysfunction in patients with essential hypertension," Int J Cardiol 2002; 86(2-3): 317-23
4 Zorgniotti, AW, Lizza EF. "Effect of large doses of the nitric oxide precursor, L-arginine, on erec dysfunction," Int J Impot Res 1994; 6(1): 33-35
5 Chen J, et al. "Effect of oral administration of high-dose nitric oxide donor L-arginine in men with organic erectile dysfunction: results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study," BJU Int 1999; 83(3): 269-273

source: e-mail from Dr AL Sears
http://www.alsearsmd.com