The guy’s guide to erectile dysfunction
We're all familiar with the drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction. But making simple changes to your lifestyle may help to prevent the problem in the first place. Here’s what you need to know
Before 1998, you rarely heard anyone utter the words erectile dysfunction or impotence. Then came a diamond-shaped blue pill called Viagra, and suddenly everything changed. The ability to have and maintain an erection was on the evening news, peppering comics' riffs, and requiring that your 8-year-old leave the room or be distracted during certain commercials.Although there are now three medications approved to treat it, simple lifestyle changes could prevent it for good.
What causes erectile dysfunction?
ED can be caused by anything that affects the health of blood vessels — heart disease,diabetes, high blood pressure, or smoking — can affect a man's ability to have an erection. Stress and relationship problems are other causes.
How to prevent erectile dysfunction
Eat like the Greeks. Do you think the ancient Greeks and Romans depicted in all those statues had problems in the bedroom? If they didn't, they may have had their diets to thank. The Mediterranean diet is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats from foods like olive oil. It's also loaded with fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fish and is relatively low in red meat. When Italian researchers compared 100 men with erectile dysfunction (ED) to 100 men without it, they found that those whose diets most closely matched a Mediterranean diet were significantly less likely to be impotent.The reason, researchers speculate, is probably the anti-inflammatory effect of the diet. Inflammation contributes to plaque buildup, narrowing blood vessels, and narrowed vessels mean less blood gets through to the penis, making an erection less likely.
Take up a new sport (or rediscover an old one). Exercise isn't just good for your muscles; it's also good for your erections. Men who become more physically active in middle age slash their risk of impotence by 70 percent compared with men who stay on the couch. In fact, physical activity — no matter what kind — reduced the risk of impotence even more than quitting smoking, losing weight, or drinking less booze.
Stop smoking. If the idea of protecting your heart and lungs isn't enough to make you stop smoking, maybe the threat of sexual embarrassment is. One study of 7,684 Chinese men found that smoking probably accounted for about one in five cases of ED. The more you smoke, the more likely you are to have problems. The study found thatsmoking just 20 cigarettes a day increased the risk by 60 percent compared to not smoking at all. The reason? Smoking constricts blood vessels and contributes to the buildup of plaque, both of which reduce blood flow — and you know what that means. Smoking also reduces levels of nitric oxide, a chemical compound that keeps blood vessels, including those in the penis, dilated. Even one day without a cigarette can improve erections.
Take up a new sport (or rediscover an old one). Exercise isn't just good for your muscles; it's also good for your erections. Men who become more physically active in middle age slash their risk of impotence by 70 percent compared with men who stay on the couch. In fact, physical activity — no matter what kind — reduced the risk of impotence even more than quitting smoking, losing weight, or drinking less booze.
Stop smoking. If the idea of protecting your heart and lungs isn't enough to make you stop smoking, maybe the threat of sexual embarrassment is. One study of 7,684 Chinese men found that smoking probably accounted for about one in five cases of ED. The more you smoke, the more likely you are to have problems. The study found thatsmoking just 20 cigarettes a day increased the risk by 60 percent compared to not smoking at all. The reason? Smoking constricts blood vessels and contributes to the buildup of plaque, both of which reduce blood flow — and you know what that means. Smoking also reduces levels of nitric oxide, a chemical compound that keeps blood vessels, including those in the penis, dilated. Even one day without a cigarette can improve erections.
Prevention boosters
Maintain normal blood sugar levels. Half of all men with diabetes have erection problems — twice the rate of men without the disease.
Pop a pill. You have three choices: sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra). All work by increasing levels of nitric oxide, the chemical that helps dilate blood vessels in the penis and keep them dilated so you can have and maintain an erection. The major difference between the three is how long they take to begin working. Levitra works the fastest, with one study finding it began working in as few as 10 minutes and remained effective for up to 12 hours. However, if you're away for a romantic weekend, consider Cialis: Studies find that one dose continues working for up to 36 hours. It's also approved in some countries for daily use.
Although drugs like sildenafil (Viagra) are designed to be used on an as-needed basis, preliminary studies suggest that taking them every night for a year could actually prevent impotence once you stop using the drug. German researchers had 112 impotent men take either 50 milligrams of Viagra every night or 50 or 100 milligrams as needed for a year. After six months with no treatment, 58.3 percent of the men who took nightly Viagra had normal erections without any medication, compared to only 8.2 percent of those who used the drug as needed. One drug, tadalafil (Cialis), is already approved for daily use.
Pop a pill. You have three choices: sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra). All work by increasing levels of nitric oxide, the chemical that helps dilate blood vessels in the penis and keep them dilated so you can have and maintain an erection. The major difference between the three is how long they take to begin working. Levitra works the fastest, with one study finding it began working in as few as 10 minutes and remained effective for up to 12 hours. However, if you're away for a romantic weekend, consider Cialis: Studies find that one dose continues working for up to 36 hours. It's also approved in some countries for daily use.
Although drugs like sildenafil (Viagra) are designed to be used on an as-needed basis, preliminary studies suggest that taking them every night for a year could actually prevent impotence once you stop using the drug. German researchers had 112 impotent men take either 50 milligrams of Viagra every night or 50 or 100 milligrams as needed for a year. After six months with no treatment, 58.3 percent of the men who took nightly Viagra had normal erections without any medication, compared to only 8.2 percent of those who used the drug as needed. One drug, tadalafil (Cialis), is already approved for daily use.
- How Viagra can hurt your relationship
- 7 ways to make sex great again
- Sex advice: I want more sex than my man
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