Men addicted to sex could have elevated levels of ‘love hormone’ –Study
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A new study has indicated that male sex addicts may have higher levels of oxytocin in their blood.
Oxytocin often referred to as ‘love hormone’ is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus and secreted by the pituitary gland. It plays a key role in sexual behavior, and abnormal levels of the hormone may contribute to hypersexual disorder.
According to the study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, men with hypersexual disorder may have higher levels of oxytocin in their blood than men without the disorder.
The study titled “High Plasma Oxytocin Levels in Men with Hypersexual Disorder” is to establish why some men have hypersexual disorders and others don’t, according to a report published by EurekAlert.
Hypersexual disorder involves excessive, persistent sexual behaviors related to various mood states, with an impulsivity component and experienced loss of control.
As reported by EurekAlert, the researchers analysed the blood samples of 64 men with hypersexual disorder and 38 healthy men and found the hypersexual men had higher levels of oxytocin in their blood.
Thirty men with hypersexual disorder went through a cognitive behavioral therapy programme and saw a significant reduction in their oxytocin levels after treatment.
“We discovered that men with compulsive sexual behavior disorder had higher oxytocin levels compared with healthy men,” said Andreas Chatzittofis, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Cyprus Medical School in Nicosia, Cyprus, and Umeå University in Umeå, Sweden. “Cognitive-behavioral therapy led to a reduction in both hypersexual behavior and oxytocin levels.”
“Oxytocin plays an important role in sex addiction and may be a potential drug target for future pharmacological treatment,” Chatzittofis said.
Other authors of the study EurekAlert reported include: John Flanagan, Jonas Hallberg, Katarina Görts Öberg and Stefan Arver of Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, Sweden; Adrian Desai E. Boström of University of Cyprus in Nicosia, Cyprus and Umeå University; and Jussi Jokinen of Umeå University and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.
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