HoldsUp

The Diary Of A CEO · 2026-04-27 · Steven Bartlett (host), Rena Malik

Sex Expert: What Women Actually Need To Enjoy Sex

81 research-tied claims examined: 3 contradicted 5 overstated 14 context 49 supported 10 unverified

5

Overstated

0:15:30Rena Malikoverstatedlow

People who have sex once a week have a 49% lower all-cause mortality rate compared to those who have sex once a year.

"when you look at people who have sex once a week compared to people who have sex once a year, the difference in all-cause mortality is 49%. They live 49% longer than people who only have sex once a year." (said at 0:15:30)

An analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005 to 2014 found that adults aged 20–59 who engaged in sexual activity at least 52 times per year (weekly) had a 49% lower risk of all-cause mortality (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio 0.51, 95% CI 0.34–0.76) compared to those engaged 0–1 time per year (yearly). However, equating a 49% reduction in relative hazard rate during follow-up to living 49% longer conflates relative risk reduction with total lifespan extension. Additionally, as an observational study, these findings show an association rather than proving a causal effect or direct survival extension.

0:16:20Rena Malikoverstatedlow

A 1997 study showed that for every 100 orgasms men had, they experienced a 13% increase in life expectancy.

"There was actually an interesting study in 1997, I think it was, where they looked at the number of orgasms men had, and they found that for every hundred orgasms men had, they lived like 13% longer. They had a 13% increase in life expectancy." (said at 0:16:20)

The referenced 1997 study from the Caerphilly cohort (Smith et al., BMJ) followed 918 men aged 45–59 over a 10-year period. The authors reported that an increase of 100 orgasms per year was associated with an odds ratio of 0.64 for 10-year all-cause mortality (a 36% reduction in odds of death during follow-up). The study measured 10-year mortality risk rather than overall life expectancy, evaluated annual frequency rather than an absolute total of 100 orgasms, and did not find a 13% increase in lifespan.

0:19:44Rena Malikoverstatedlow

Regular consumption of blueberries is associated with an approximately 20% improvement in erectile function.

"Specifically, blueberries actually came out to have, I think, something around 20% also improvement in erectile function when you're eating blueberries regularly." (said at 0:19:44)

A major prospective cohort study of 25,096 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (Cassidy et al., 2016) examined dietary flavonoid subclasses and incident erectile dysfunction (ED). The study found that higher habitual intake of anthocyanins (a major flavonoid in blueberries) and other flavonoid subclasses was associated with a 9% to 14% reduced risk of incident ED overall (and an 11% to 16% risk reduction in men under 70 years old), or up to a 21% reduction when combined with physical activity. However, claiming that blueberry consumption directly causes a ~20% improvement in erectile function overstates the findings: the evidence is observational (measuring reduced risk of developing incident ED, not a therapeutic improvement in established ED) and the magnitude associated with fruit/anthocyanin intake alone was 9–14%, not 20%.

  • partial: Dietary flavonoid intake and incidence of erectile dysfunction. (The American journal of clinical nutrition 2016) · cited 62x in the literature
    "After multivariate adjustment, including classic cardiovascular disease risk factors, several subclasses were associated with reduced ED incidence, specifically flavones (RR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.85, 0.97; P-trend = 0.006), flavanones (RR = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.83, 0.95; P-trend = 0.0009), and anthocyanins (RR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.85, 0.98; P-trend = 0.002) comparing extreme intakes... In food-based analysis, higher total intake of fruit, a major source of anthocyanins and flavanones, was associated with a 14% reduction in risk of ED (RR = 0.86; 95% CI: 0.79, 0.92; P = 0.002)." (abstract, results, passage verified)
    pubmedfull study (doi)
0:23:07Rena Malikoverstatedlow

Men who maintain their muscle mass through resistance exercise are three times less likely to develop erectile dysfunction.

"when you maintain it through resistance exercise, they're three times less likely to have erectile dysfunction." (said at 0:23:07)

Observational and cohort studies show that sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and physical function) is associated with an approximately 2.5- to 2.7-fold increased odds of moderate-to-severe erectile dysfunction (ED), and preserved muscle mass is associated with lower risk. However, stating that maintaining muscle mass specifically through resistance exercise makes men three times less likely to develop ED overstates observational associations regarding sarcopenia as a proven protective effect directly quantified from resistance training interventions.

0:28:55Rena Malikoverstatedmoderate

Above age 50, 52% of men experience erectile dysfunction, and prevalence increases by about 10% each subsequent decade.

"So above the age of 50, we see 52% of men having erectile dysfunction, which is— ... And it goes up 10% every decade. So 60% of 60-year-olds, 70% of 70-year-olds." (said at 0:28:55)

The speaker misattributes the source data for the 52% overall prevalence figure and combines it with a general rule of thumb. In the landmark Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS), a 52% overall prevalence of combined (minimal, moderate, and complete) erectile dysfunction was observed across the entire study sample of men aged 40 to 70 years old, not specifically men "above age 50". While erectile dysfunction prevalence does increase with age, stating that 52% applies to men over 50 overstates the specific age group finding from this baseline study.

Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.