Sex and Cycling
Are cyclists better lovers?
Men with weak heart muscles reported marked improvements in their sex
lives after bicycling three times a week for eight weeks, according to a
study led by Dr. Romualdo Belardinelli, director of the Lancisi Heart
Institute in Ancona, Italy. Dr. Belardinelli reported his findings
November 12 at an American Heart Association conference in Anaheim, CA.
"It's a simple exercise you can use to improve your sexual function,' he
said. The Associated Press reported on the findings.
Belardinelli's study focused on how aerobic exercise, frequently
prescribed to strengthen the cardiovascular system in heart failure
patients, could improve sexual performance. He and his colleagues had 30
men bicycle under careful monitoring at a moderate intensity. Another 29
men did not exercise and served as a comparison group. The bicycling
patients' ability to use oxygen rose as a result of the exercise and they
had improved blood flow. The control group did not have these
improvements. Belardinelli believes aerobic exercise can help men taking
certain heart medications who can't take Viagra because mixing the two can
be fatal.
The men and their sex partners responded to questionnaires to assess their
sexual ability. Results from the men and the women were compared to make
sure the men were telling the truth. "I don't know in Americans, but you
know Italians are famous to be great lovers, so they can lie and say, 'I
am great and no problems,'" Belardinelli said. "But in reality they have a
big problem and don't admit it." The compared answers showed that the men
who exercised had improved sexual performance and quality time with their
sex partners.
Belardinelli feels the results of aerobic exercise are comparable to those
of Viagra, because both widen blood vessels. Other experts thought
different benefits of exercise could lead to the improvement in sexual
function. "Exercise is associated with decreases in depression and a whole
lot of other things that may affect sexual function,' said Dr. Nanette
Wenger of Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Mike Sweeney, urology
group leader at Pfizer Inc., maker of Viagra, said exercising, quitting
smoking and losing weight can lead to sex improvements for anyone, not
just people who can't take Viagra.
Click here to read about the myth of bike saddles and sexual dysfunction