Irish study shows men who lose love handles have better sex lives

Shedding pounds can increase men’s passion levels in the bedroom, according to a new study by Irish researchers.

The study found that overweight men who went on a weight-loss program were able to reduce the prevalence of low testosterone by almost 50 percent.

While the study was conducted at St Vincent’s University Hospital, in Dublin, the findings were presented this week at The Endocrine Society’s 94th annual meeting, in Texas.

According to Philly.com the research followed 900 pre-diabetic men who were also overweight and who had an average age of 54.

The men were placed in three separate groups and received either a prescription for 150 minutes of exercise a week plus a low-calorie, low-fat diet; the diabetes drug metformin, or a placebo pill.

The men who stuck to the exercise regime and consumed a healthy diet reported a decrease of 46 percent in low testosterone levels and lost an average of 17 pounds.

"Doctors should first encourage overweight men with low testosterone levels to try to lose weight through diet and exercise before resorting to testosterone therapy to raise their hormone levels," study co-author Dr Frances Hayes, a professor at St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, said in a society news release.

"Losing weight not only reduces the risk of pre-diabetic men progressing to diabetes, but also appears to increase their body's production of testosterone," Hayes said.