Memory loss in older adults can be influenced by a number of factors, including genetics, lifestyle choices, medical conditions, and overall brain health. In contrast, sexual satisfaction is influenced by a complex interplay of physical, psychological, and relational factors.
According to a new study led by Penn State researchers, low sexual satisfaction in middle age may serve as an early warning sign for future cognitive decline. The study, which followed the relationships between erectile function, sexual satisfaction, and cognition in hundreds of men aged 56 to 68, discovered that declines in sexual satisfaction and erectile function were related to future memory loss.
According to the researchers, the study, published in the most recent issue of the journal Gerontologist, is the first to longitudinally track sexual satisfaction in tandem with sexual health and cognition, and its findings point to a potential novel risk factor for cognitive decline.
“What was unique about our approach is that we measured memory function and sexual function at each point in the longitudinal study, so we could look at how they changed together over time,” said Martin Sliwinski, professor of human development and family studies at Penn State and co-author on the study. “What we discovered is consistent with what scientists are learning about the relationship between life satisfaction and cognitive performance.”
Scientists have found that if you have low satisfaction generally, you are at a higher risk for health problems like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease and other stress-related issues that can lead to cognitive decline. Improvements in sexual satisfaction may actually spark improvement in memory function.
Martin Sliwinski
The study looked at the relationship between physical changes like microvascular changes that affect erectile function and psychological changes like lower sexual satisfaction to see how they relate to cognition. They looked at the changes beginning in middle age because that is when declines in erectile function, cognition, and sexual satisfaction begin to emerge.
While the team discovered a strong correlation between the three health factors, Sliwinski added that they can only speculate on the cause.
“Scientists have found that if you have low satisfaction generally, you are at a higher risk for health problems like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease and other stress-related issues that can lead to cognitive decline,” he said. “Improvements in sexual satisfaction may actually spark improvement in memory function. We tell people they should get more exercise and eat better foods. We’re showing that sexual satisfaction also has importance for our health and general quality of life.”
The researchers used survey data from 818 men who took part in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging for the study. They examined participants’ cognitive changes over a 12-year period from age 56 to 68, adjusting for participants’ cognitive ability in young adulthood, using neuropsychological tests such as memory and processing speed tests. The International Index of Erectile Function, a self-reported assessment for male sexual health, was used to assess their erectile function and sexual satisfaction alongside cognition. The researchers then developed a statistical model to better understand how the three variables changed as people aged.
“Research on sexual health has historically focused on quantifiable facets of sexuality like number of sexual partners or frequency of sexual activity,” said Riki Slayday, a doctoral candidate at Penn State and lead author on the study. “What we were interested in was the perception of that activity, how someone feels about their sex life, and how that influences cognitive function, because multiple people could be physically in the same situation but experience completely different levels of satisfaction.”
The study discovered that declines in erectile function and sexual satisfaction were both associated with memory decline, indicating a link between psychological and physical health, according to the researchers.
“When we mapped the relationship over time, we found that increases or decreases in erectile function and sexual satisfaction were associated with concurrent increases or decreases in cognitive function,” Slayday explained. “These associations survived adjustment for demographic and health factors, indicating a clear link between our sex lives and cognition.”
Previously, researchers discovered a link between microvascular changes and changes in erectile function over time. According to Sliwinski, the active ingredient in Viagra (Sildenafil) was originally developed to treat cardiovascular problems, so the link between vascular health and erectile function is well understood. Future research should focus on how erectile function relates to other aspects of health, he says.
He believes that increasing the assessment and monitoring of erectile function as a vital sign of health may aid in identifying those at risk of cognitive decline before the age of 70. The researchers point out that the older adult population in the United States is expected to double in the next 30 years, implying that twice as many people will enter their 60s and experience declines in erectile function and sexual satisfaction.
