Marathon running and sexual libido in adult men: exercise training and racing effects
Open accessAbstract
We examined whether endurance training for a standard marathon (42.2 km) had a greater influence on male libido than more generalized endurance exercise training. We surveyed adult men (>1000) who regularly engaged in endurance running to evaluate exercise training histories-patterns and libido characteristics. Our participants were primarily recruited from North America and Europe. Results indicate men conducting marathon training had lower libido scores (p<0.05; ~20%, d=0.44) than those not doing such specific training. Factors most related to libido were: 1) the number of years of training, and 2) the proportion of high-intensity effort conducted in training (inverse relationships); regardless of whether marathon training was performed or not. Our survey approach did not allow us to determine the cause of the reduced libido, but we speculate it could relate to: 1) chronic physical fatigue from high volumes of exercise training, 2) behavioral accommodations in energy expenditure, or else ‘Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport’ (RED-S) syndrome, and/ or 3) endocrinological adaptations as a result of the exercise training (i.e., low testosterone). From a practical perspective, we recommend couples attempting conception should inform their healthcare providers of the male partner’s exercise habits concerning endurance running as this may be a factor relative to potential infertility.
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Two emerging potential indicators of REDs in males are the presence of low libido and decreased morning erections, which have been identified as physiological consequences of LEA.
“Two emerging potential indicators of REDs in males are the presence of low libido and decreased morning erections, which have been identified as physiological consequences of LEA.[108][109][110][111]”
From 2023 international olympic committee's (IOC) consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs) (2023) · cites this paper as [109]
The Discussion links reduced libido and fewer erections to possible RED-S development and suggests sexual drive may indicate energy status. But it calls that link speculative, and the study did not measure energy availability or establish that low libido and decreased morning erections are physiological consequences of LEA. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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Cites
Mountjoy, M., Sundgot-Borgen, J., Burke, L., Carter, S., Constantini, N., Lebrun, C., Meyer, N., Sherman, R., Steffen, K., Budgett, R., et al. (2014) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2014-093502 · Cited by 1,469 · cited 7× · see citing works
“Regrettably, assessment of RED-S is dependent on the measurement of energy availability in an individual (i.e., low energy availability precipitates RED-S) 9 , which is difficult to assess accurately in a laboratory yet alone in an online survey methodology 10 .”
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Research works printed but not linked: 11
- Hackney AC, Lane AR, Register-Mihalik J, et al. Endurance exercise training and male sexual libido. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2017; 49(7): 1383-1388.
- Meston CM, Stanton AM. The effects of acute exercise on physiological sexual arousal in women. Sex Hormones, Exercise and Women. Editor, Hackney AC. 2017. Springer Nature, New York.
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- Shirley MK, Longman DP, Elliott-Sale KJ, et al. A life history perspective on athletes with low energy availability. Sports Med. 2022; 52(6): 1223-1234.
- Hackney AC, Lane AR. Low testosterone in male endurance-trained distance runners: impact of years in training. Hormones. 2018; 17(1): 137-139.
- Lundy B, Torstveit MK, Stenqvist TB, et al. Screening for low energy availability in male athletes: attempted validation of LEAM-Q. Nutrients. 2022; 14(9): 1873.
- Heikura IA, Uusitalo ALT, Stellingwerff T, et al. Low energy availability is difficult to assess but outcomes have large impact on bone injury rates in elite distance athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2018; 28(4): 403-411.
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Mountjoy, M., Ackerman, K. E., Bailey, D. M., Burke, L. M., Constantini, N., Hackney, A. C., Heikura, I. A., Melin, A., Pensgaard, A. M., Stellingwerff, T., et al. (2023) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-106994 · Cited by 724 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- C. Hackney, A., H. Zieff, G., R. Lane, A., & K. Register-Mihalik, J.
- Venue
- Journal of Endocrinological Science
- Publisher
- Sciaccess Publishers LLC
- Published
- 2022-08-17
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 10-12
- ISSN
- 2767-5157 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9442612
- OpenAlex
- W4294921304
- Cited by
- 7
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2023: 3
- FWCI
- 0.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Endocrinological Science (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R03AR055262)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
- Keywords
- marathon running, male libido, endurance training, high-intensity training, relative energy deficiency in sport, testosterone, physical fatigue, energy expenditure, male infertility, conception
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