It has been said that a man's penis is the barometer of his overall health. When it comes to erectile dysfunction and heart health, this saying is more than a clever metaphor.
There are many causal factors for erectile dysfunction, or ED, but the most common one is diminished blood flow. In many cases, ED that stems from cardiovascular problems shows up as early as three to five years before cardiac dysfunction. Men who experience the early stages of ED may not realize the connection. They may try to address the problem with "instant fixes" and miss the importance of seeing a physician for an overall evaluation.
There is a silver lining in all this. A recently published online article from the Archives of Internal Medicine reports an analysis of previously published clinical trials regarding the effectiveness of cardiovascular lifestyle changes and medication in relation to ED. The article's conclusion is good news for men whose ED is connected to cardiovascular risk factors.
According to the authorsi, "Erectile dysfunction (ED) shares similar modifiable risk factors with coronary artery disease (CAD)." Thus, lifestyle changes that lessen cardiovascular risk factors could be expected to lead to improved erectile function.
To explore this hypothesis, the authors searched multiple electronic databases using predefined criteria. They included only randomized, controlled clinical trials with follow-up of at least 6 weeks of lifestyle modifications or pharmacotherapy for cardiovascular risk factors reduction. The effect of interventions on ED was assessed by means of the International Index of Erectile Dysfunction (IIEF-5) score.
They identified a total of 740 participants from six clinical trials in four countries. Two of the trials involved the use of statins (cholesterol-lowering medication), while the other four measured lifestyle modification interventions. In all cases, as cardiovascular function improved, so did sexual function.
The implications of this review clearly point to the value of a cardiovascular evaluation for men experiencing mild-to-moderate erectile dysfunction. It is encouraging to know that preserving great overall health is an investment in great sexual health, and that taking good care of one's heart can lead to improved erectile function.
iGupta B, Murad H, Clifton M, Prokop L, Nehra A, Kopecky, S. The effect of lifestyle modification and cardiovascular risk factor reduction on erectile dysfunction. Arch Intern Med. Published online Sep. 12, 2011.
