#MaleSexualHealth

A sizable international study finds that small rises in blood sugar, well below diabetes levels, can impair male sexual function and sperm motility. The findings challenge the idea that aging or testosterone alone drive sexual decline in men. For Thai readers, the results come at a time of rising metabolic disorders and changing lifestyles across the country.

Historically, low libido, erectile difficulties, and poorer semen quality were attributed mainly to age or low testosterone. The FAME 2.0 study, conducted at a German university hospital, shows that even modest metabolic shifts—measured by HbA1c—correlate more strongly with declines in sexual health than age or testosterone. The study followed nearly 200 healthy men aged 18–85 over six years, excluding those with diabetes, heart disease, or cancer to isolate the effects of prediabetic glucose elevations.

A groundbreaking new study has challenged decades-old assumptions about men’s sexual health, showing that even slightly elevated blood sugar—well below diabetic levels—can significantly impair sexual function and sperm mobility. The findings, which upend the notion that age or testosterone alone drive male sexual decline, have special implications for Thai men amid rising rates of metabolic disorder and changing lifestyles nationwide.

For years, it was widely believed that reduced libido, erectile challenges, and compromised sperm quality in men naturally came with aging or declining testosterone. However, the international team led by physicians at University Hospital in Münster, Germany, has demonstrated that subtle metabolic changes—marked primarily by the HbA1c blood sugar test—correlate far more closely with sexual health decline than either age or testosterone levelsScience Daily. The study, known as FAME 2.0, followed nearly 200 healthy men aged 18-85 in a rigorous six-year analysis ending in 2020, excluding any participants with diabetes, heart disease, or cancer to isolate the effects of modest (pre-diabetic) blood sugar elevation.