What does erectile dysfunction (ED) in a patient tell you about their health?
My husband was experiencing ED for a year. He's a bit over weight (great muscled tone in the chest, legs and arms but not in the back/abdomen). He walks in the mornings, attends boot-camp style training 3x per week and is very physically active on weekends (heavy yard work for 4-6 hours, etc.). He has improved his sleep hygiene and is sleeping better. He tried a ketogenic diet for 6 months (we're both engineers - meticulous; I cook from scratch; no alcohol) it changed nothing, nor did he lose any weight. Went back to default paleo diet. No change. Started a whole-foods, plant-based diet, and within ten days his erectile dysfunction was gone (months later, no ED and he still has not lost weight). How would you think about this situation? What kind of tests would you want to run? What type of conditions would you consider or want to rule out/confirm?
Fructose metabolism during exercise (for your next interview with Rick Johnson, MD)
Could you discuss the effects of exercise on the metabolism of fructose? What happens when you consume fructose or other carbohydrates during or immediately prior to endurance exercise, versus while sedentary? Specifically, I'm curious what you think about using maltodextrin-based sports fuels like Clif Shot and Hammer Gel, and drinks like Sword (which contains fructose and maltodextrin) and UCAN (a slower-acting carbohydrate made from cooked cornstarch) -- from both a performance and a longevity standpoint. Thank you so much for sharing these fascinating, in-depth conversations with your listeners. I really appreciate the thought and care you take in making these topics accessible to those of us who are not in the medical field.
Ketogenic Diet and Heart Rate
Hi Peter. I have been in a pretty strict keto diet for seven months now. The data from my oura ring for these months show a very consistent rise in my RHR (around 7 bpm) and decrease in my HRV (around 20%). What could be a possible mechanism for this? A rise in cortisol? Should I be concerned about these data? I try to keep an eye on my electrolites intake, in case that is significant for this matter.