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Men’s Health Spotlight: Be Smart About Your Blood Sugar

Erectile dysfunction—it’s the last thing men want to think about, let alone discuss. That’s a problem since ED can be an early sign of type 2 diabetes. In fact, studies show that men with diabetes are 3.5 times more likely to experience ED.(1) Another surprising fact? Men with diabetes also tend to have lower than normal testosterone levels. Because testosterone plays a significant role in erectile function, low levels can adversely influence both sexual desire and the physical mechanics of achieving and maintaining an erection.(2,3)

Below the Belt

If you’re experiencing problems in the bedroom, having your blood sugar checked may be a smart move. Here’s why: High blood sugar—a hallmark of type 2 diabetes—can damage the blood vessels that carry blood to the penis, something that’s essential for achieving and maintaining an erection.4 Over time, high blood sugar levels can also damage nerves, including those involved in sexual function. This nerve damage can impair the ability to feel sexual stimulation and reduce the body’s response to arousal.5 If that wasn’t enough, diabetes can also elevate your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity, all factors that contribute to ED.6

The Insulin Factor

Under normal circumstances, your body can keep blood sugar in check. After you eat, your digestive system breaks down sugar and other carbohydrates into glucose. This glucose is then absorbed into your bloodstream, causing your blood sugar to rise. In response, your pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that shuttles glucose into your cells. Without insulin, your cells would not have access to this vital energy source.7

Trouble begins when this system gets overwhelmed due to a diet high in sugar and simple carbohydrates. Eventually, this causes the body to become less sensitive to insulin—a condition called insulin resistance. When this happens, your muscle, fat, and liver cells can’t respond to insulin properly. As a result, your pancreas works overtime to produce higher and higher amounts of insulin to literally shove glucose into these resistant cells. In other words, the pancreas valiantly tries to keep up with the increased demand by producing more insulin, but with less effect. Of even more concern, many people with insulin resistance can have high levels of blood glucose and insulin circulating in their blood at the same time. This combination has a highly damaging effect on all the tissues and organs in your body, including those that are involved in erectile function.8

5 Habits For Healthier Blood Sugar

Luckily, studies show that making a few simple lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 58 percent.9 Here are five of the most effective habits to improve your blood sugar and your love life.

  1. Get checked out. If you’re worried about your performance, see your primary healthcare provider. Along with evaluating your cardiovascular, neurological, and urogenital systems, ask your doctor to check your A1C and fasting blood sugar levels to determine if insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, or full-blown type 2 diabetes are a contributing factor.
  2. Change your diet. Trade in a diet high in sugar and ultra-processed foods for a low-carb Mediterranean diet rich in fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, nuts, and good-for-you fats like extra virgin olive oil. These foods have been shown to help balance blood sugar.10  As a bonus, eating a Mediterranean diet may also improve ED by reducing inflammation, improving blood flow, and potentially increasing testosterone levels.11,12,13
  3. Lose weight. Studies show thatlosing just five to seven percent of your body weight can significantly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Weight loss interventions in people with type 2 diabetes can also improve glycemic control, cardiovascular risk factors, and ED.14,15
  4. Research reports that a lack of physical activity is a risk factor for insulin resistance.However, getting at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week can allow the body’s cells to take in sugar from the bloodstream without the need for insulin. This, in turn, lowers your blood sugar levels.16 Regular exercise can also support healthy weight loss.
  5. Prioritize sleep. Are you getting enough zzzz’s? Routine sleep deprivation is a critical risk factor for insulin resistance.17 In fact, sleeping for five hours or less a night for just one week can significantly reduce insulin sensitivity.18 Not getting enough sleep can also increase cravings for unhealthy foods, thus leading to excess weight gain and upping the risk of insulin resistance even more.19 To get the most blood sugar balancing benefit from your nightly snooze, strive for 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly.

Nutrients for Better Blood Sugar and Better Sex

Pairing these healthy lifestyle changes with targeted nutrients can help keep your blood sugar in balance and may lower your risk of developing ED.

Aged Garlic Extract (AGE). Long used for its cardiovascular benefits, research indicates that AGE can also lower fasting blood glucose levels, improve glucose tolerance, and enhance insulin sensitivity.20 Several studies show that a daily dose of AGE can improve beta-cell function, a key factor in insulin production.21 What’s more, AGE may offer some benefits for ED due to its ability to improve blood flow and increase nitric oxide levels, two factors that are crucial for erectile function.22

Bitter Melon. Native to India, this bitter gourd is a rich source of vitamins A and C. Bitter melon is thought to improve the way glucose is used in your tissues thanks to insulin-like compounds in the fruit.23  The results of one 12-week clinical trial suggests that bitter melon can lower the effects of high blood sugar in people with prediabetes by suppressing a peptide in the pancreas called glucagon.24

Chromium. This trace mineral is essential for regulating blood sugar levels. Studies show that it stimulates insulin production, enhances insulin’s action, and improves insulin sensitivity.25  In one four-month clinical trial involving middle aged patients with uncontrolled diabetes, those supplementing with chromium experienced a reduction in their HbA1c levels from 10.4±2.4 to 7.2±1.7. They also saw a drop in their mean fasting blood sugar to near normal levels.26

Niacin. This B vitamin enhances the absorption of chromium when the two minerals are bound together.27 That said, when taken alone, multiple studies suggest that moderate to high doses can actually raise blood sugar.28

Salacia. This herb is traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to help manage blood sugar levels, especially in individuals with type 2 diabetes. It works by inhibiting an enzyme called alpha-glucosidase, which helps digest carbohydrates. This slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.29  During a small randomized, double-blind, crossover study that appeared in the Journal of Diabetes Research, participants taking salacia experienced an improvement in their post-meal glucose and insulin response. This led the researchers to conclude that salacia safely decreased the digestion and absorption of dietary sugars and simple carbohydrates.30

Pairing these healthy lifestyle changes with the supplemental nutrients listed not only works to  balance your blood sugar, it may also help to banish those bedroom blues. And, whether you’re on the verge of insulin resistance, are prediabetic, or have full-blown type 2 diabetes, there’s no better time to start than now!

References

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  2. Kumari N, Khan A, Shaikh U, et al. Comparison of testosterone levels in patients with and without type 2 diabetes. 2021;13(7):e16288.
  3. Nasser M. Does testosterone have a role in erectile function? The American Journal of Medicine. 2006l119(5):373-82.
  4. Diabetes and men. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/risk-factors/diabetes-and-men.html
  5. Chu NV, Edelman SV. Diabetes and erectile dysfunction.Clinical Diabetes. 2001;19(1):45–47.
  6. Joseph JJ, Deedwania P, Acharya T, et al. Comprehensive Management of cardiovascular risk factors for adults with type 2 diabetes: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2022;145(9):e722-e759.
  7. Blood glucose and insulin. American Diabetes Association. https://diabetes.org/about-diabetes/high-blood-sugar
  8. Insulin resistance & prediabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 2025. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance
  9. Galaviz KI, Narayan KMV, Lobelo F, et al. Lifestyle and the prevention of type 2 diabetes: A status report. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2015;12(1):4-20.
  10. Martín-Peláez S, Fito M, Castaner O. Mediterranean diet effects on type 2 diabetes prevention, disease progression, and related mechanisms. A review. 2020;12(8):2236.
  11. Di Francesco S, Tenaglia RL. Mediterranean diet and erectile dysfunction: a current perspective. Central European Journal of Urology. 2017 Jun 30;70(2):185-7.
  12. Giugliano F, Maiorino MI, Bellastella G, et al. Adherence to Mediterranean diet and erectile dysfunction in men with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2010;7(5):1911-7.
  13. Corsetti V, Notari T, Montano L. Effects of the low-carb organic Mediterranean diet on testosterone levels and sperm DNA fragmentation. Current Research in Food Science. 2023;7:100636.
  14. Apovian CM, Okemah J, O’Neil PM. Body weight considerations in the management of type 2 diabetes.Advances in Therapy. 2019;36:44–58.
  15. Evans MF. Lose weight to lose erectile dysfunction. Canadian Family Physician. 2005;51(1):47-9.
  16. Yang D,Yang Y, Li Y, et al. Physical exercise as therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus: From mechanism to orientation. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2019; 74 (4): 313–21.
  17. Spiegel K, Knutson K, Leproult R, et al. Sleep loss: a novel risk factor for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Journal of Applied Physiology. 2005;99(5):2008-19.
  18. Buxton OM,Pavlova M, Reid EW, et al. Sleep restriction for 1 week reduces insulin sensitivity in healthy men.  2010; 59 (9): 2126–33.
  19. Greer SM, Goldstein AN, Walker MP. The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain. Nature Communications. 2013;4:2259.
  20. Maeda T, Miki S, Morihara N, et al. Aged garlic extract ameliorates fatty liver and insulin resistance and improves the gut microbiota profile in a mouse model of insulin resistance. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. 2019;18(1):857-866.
  21. Ali SI, Elkhalifa AME, Nabi SU, et al. Aged garlic extract preserves beta-cell functioning via modulation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB)/Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 and sarco endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA)/Ca2+in diabetes mellitus. Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome. 2024;16(1):110.
  22. Yang J, Wang T, Yang J, et al. S-allyl cysteine restores erectile function through inhibition of reactive oxygen species generation in diabetic rats. 2013;1(3):487-94.
  23. Liu Z, Gong J, Huang W, et al. The effect ofMomordica charantia in the treatment of diabetes mellitus: A review. Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2021;2021:3796265.
  24. Kim B, Lee HS, Kim HJ, et al. Momordica charantia(bitter melon) efficacy and safety on glucose metabolism in Korean prediabetes participants: a 12-week, randomized clinical study. Food Science and Biotechnology. 2022;32(5):697-704.
  25. Ferit K. Chromium and glucose metabolism: The essential trace mineral’s impact on blood sugar control. Diabetes Management. 2023;13(6):542-3.
  26. Alkhalidi F. A comparative study to assess the use of chromium in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Journal of Medicine and Life. 2023;16(8):1178-82.
  27. Jain SK, Rains JL, Croad JL. Effect of chromium niacinate and chromium picolinate supplementation on lipid peroxidation, TNF-alpha, IL-6, CRP, glycated hemoglobin, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels in blood of streptozotocin-treated diabetic rats. Free Radical Biology & Medicine. 2007;43(8):1124-31.
  28. Lin L, Chen S, Zhang C,et al. Association of dietary niacin intake with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2018. Science Reports. 2024;14:
  29. Stohs SJ, Ray S. Anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects and safety of Salacia reticulata and related species. Phytotherapy Research. 2015;29(7):986-95.
  30. Jeykodi S, Deshpande J, Juturu V.Salacia extract improves postprandial glucose and insulin response: A randomized double-blind, placebo controlled, crossover study in healthy volunteers. Journal of Diabetes Research. 2016;2016:7971831.

This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.