Weight Up, Libido Down: Is Chris Pratt Right That 'Parks and Rec' Killed His Sex Drive?
Actor Chris Pratt in 2011, left, when he gained weight for his role on Parks and Recreation. A more svelte Pratt in March, right, in London doing press for Jurassic World. (Photos: Getty Images)
Chris Pratt recently made news after disclosing that he was “impotent” when he gained weight for his role as lovable optimist Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation.
Pratt, who says he topped out at 300 pounds, told Men’s Health in the U.K. that he and wife Anna Faris had fun with the weight gain at first, but that he noticed it was taking a toll on his health. “I was impotent, fatigued, emotionally depressed. I had real health issues that were affecting me in a major way. It’s bad for your heart, your skin, your system, your spirit,” he told the magazine.
Now the 35-year-old is clarifying that he didn’t have erectile dysfunction. Instead, he had trouble getting in the mood. “I’m not sure I knew what ‘impotent’ meant when I said it,” he told Access Hollywood. “I had a lower sex drive, to be honest with you. Everything about my spirit was dull. I didn’t feel great, and I think people will relate to that.”
Pratt’s experience is common, says Kevin Billups, MD, director of the Integrative Men’s Health Program at Johns Hopkins’ Brady Urological Institute. “I’ve seen a number of men who experience this,” he tells Yahoo Health.
While weight gain can impact a person’s cardiovascular health, as well as raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, it also has a direct effect on a man’s testosterone levels, says Billups. Extra abdominal fat, in particular, is troublesome, he says, because it can promote the conversion of testosterone into the female sex hormone estrogen, lowering a man’s libido.
But it’s not just hormonal — people who gain weight or are obese just don’t feel great, says Billups. “You’re tired, your cholesterol is up, your body image suffers … when you add all that up, it will have an impact on your sex drive,” he says.
Research backs up the connection. Australia’s University of Adelaide conducted a five-year study of 1,500 men and found that those who became obese had lower levels of testosterone than those who didn’t, and a small study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2011 discovered that obese men who lost 5 to 10 percent of their body weight over a two-month period had an increased sex drive and improved erectile function.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Erectile Dysfunction Drugs
Research has shown that testosterone levels fall in women who gain weight as well, lowering their sex drive, but a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine discovered that a woman’s sex drive and sexual satisfaction is more strongly linked to body image.
Luckily, it’s possible to reverse the effects, and the chance to have a better sex drive is a good motivator for some men, says Billups. He’s seen definite improvement when his patients start eating better and exercising regularly. “When these guys come back in four months, they’re thinner all over,” he says. “They say their energy is better, and they don’t need erectile dysfunction medicine anymore.”
Pratt said it worked for him, telling Access Hollywood that his libido came back after he started to work out more — and that it can work for men who are struggling with a similar issue.
“You can, with hard work and dedication and just sticking to it, you can actually make a big change,” he said. “And it will affect you, not just physically, not just the way you look, but how you feel and how your spirit feels and how your penis feels — especially the penis part.”
Read this next: 8 Real-Life Truths About Losing Weight As a Couple
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