Doctors and scientists have been sounding the alarm as younger people prematurely develop conditions such as diabetes and even colon cancer, with stressful and sedentary jobs and lifestyles named as factors, along with overconsumption of processed food.
But the toll taken by work appears to be causing another old-before-their-time ailment, with men in their 20s and 30s more likely to suffer plummeting testosterone and erectile dysfunction than previous generations, according to a new study in the International Journal Of Clinical Practice.
“Workplace psychological stress may impair erectile function in young men by affecting certain stress management pathways in the brain and reducing testosterone levels,” the team of Chinese researchers said, after tracking more than 800 men aged between 20 and 40.
Based at Zhejiang University School of Medicine and Jiangsu Medical College, the researchers found that factors like working hours, lack of autonomy and levels of decision making and supervisor supportplayed a part in whether or not erectile function was affected.
Erectile dysfunction prevalence neared 55% among participants deemed to be in the “high-stress group”– 10 times that diagnosed among those with low-stress jobs.
Cortisol, a hormone produced by the body in response to stress, spiked among the workers affected two to four weeks prior to testosterone falling.
In turn, erectile dysfunction followed the testosterone decline by around one month to six weeks, meaning that those potentially affected have a maximum “intervention window” of around ten weeks should they start to feel work-related stress climb.
The researchers advocated combining “psychological stress assessment and hormone testing” to pinpoint those most susceptible. – dpa
