As men’s health and the conversations around it continue to evolve, sexual wellness is increasingly being viewed as more than just a performance-driven category. From cardiovascular function to metabolic health, growing evidence suggests it can serve as an important window into broader health issues. However, while the market and consumer behavior remain largely focused on quick fixes, there are signs that this mindset is beginning to evolve.
NutraIngredients spoke with Dr. William Brant, a urologist and sexual medicine specialist at Bult, about the need for a more holistic, prevention-first approach, the role of supplements and how men can navigate a crowded marketplace to better separate research from hype.
NI: Sexual wellness is often treated as a standalone category. How should we be thinking about it in the context of overall men’s health and supplementation?
Dr. William Brant (WB): Sexual health in general is indeed treated in isolation, but this is the wrong way to approach it. Rather, sexual health should be considered, in part, as a marker or proxy of general health and well-being. In erectile dysfunction, for example, there are medications and other interventions to improve erections. But to do that without considering a man’s overall health would be to miss an opportunity to improve his life and health in general. Often, men with erectile dysfunction have underlying cardiovascular or metabolic disease that should be addressed at the same time. The fundamentals always remain the most important: exercise, sleep, nutrition and so on. Supplements may play a similar role, being less about direct treatment and more about supporting an overall health-oriented strategy.
NI: Are today’s men approaching sexual health more proactively, or is the category still largely driven by reactive, performance-based solutions?
WB: Unfortunately, the category is still driven by a very focused approach of treating the immediate symptom without really addressing the underlying cause. There are many reasons for this, including men’s embarrassment and companies that focus solely on product sales rather than a more holistic approach. Ideally, we would like men to be proactive about optimizing and supporting their health, which also supports their sexual health.
NI: What role do foundational nutrients—like vitamin D, zinc and nitric oxide precursors—play in supporting sexual health outcomes over time?
WB: In all health outcomes, there are modifiable and unmodifiable factors. For example, we cannot undo the march of time, cannot change the past medical issues or less desirable environmental factors that may be causative of sexual health problems. But men should focus on the modifiable factors. Going back to the fundamentals, men need to pay attention to exercise, sleep, weight control and nutrition to optimize their cardiovascular and metabolic health. Nutritional supplements may play a role here, partly because our modern diets may not be as complete as we would like, and partly because evidence suggests that certain supplements may support key aspects of overall function. For example, nitric oxide precursors may support the pathways involved in normal blood flow.
NI: The market is crowded with “quick fix” products—what should consumers look for to distinguish evidence-based formulations from hype?
WB: It’s hard for consumers to sift through the hype, but it’s important to remember that anything that seems too good to be true probably is. Doctors and other providers aren’t trying to “hide” any magical or secret cures. We see that consumers are not good at assessing the evidence for many of these products, not because they aren’t smart or sophisticated, but because they just don’t have the background to really distinguish good evidence from bad. Things that are really “quick fix” are often hype; things that claim to reveal a “secret” are often hype. Evidence-based formulations and products are those that don’t make outrageous claims but do have robust, human-based data that support their role in promoting an overall healthy lifestyle.
NI: Where do you see the biggest gaps or opportunities in men’s sexual wellness supplements today?
WB: I think the biggest gap is the belief that a supplement can substitute for more fundamental habits or for needed medical care. No supplement should be used in isolation, and men with specific concerns should really speak with their providers. Additionally, men need to remember that “more” does not always equal “better,” and it is very easy to just take all sorts of products, which may lead to problems if there is too much overlap in individual ingredients. An opportunity in supplements is to take a thoughtful, evidence-based approach with a simple system that gives men the ingredients that support overall and sexual wellness without overloading them and without forgetting that a supplement system supports but does not substitute for all of the factors that go into wellness.
