Obesity,
smoking raises impotence risk
July 08, 2006
An overweight man climbs a
flight of stairs in a 2003 file photo. Maintaining
a healthy weight, not smoking and getting regular
exercise may all reduce the risk of developing
erectile
dysfunction (ED), according to a study that
followed more than 22,000 U.S. men for 14 years.
REUTERS/Andrew Wong
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many of the same
things that are good for a man's heart may also
be good for his sex life, new research confirms.
Maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and
getting regular exercise may all reduce the
risk of developing erectile dysfunction (ED),
according to a study that followed more than
22,000 U.S. men for 14 years.
The findings, published in the Journal of Urology,
help solidify evidence tying lifestyle choices
to ED risk. They may also give men added incentive
to make some changes for the better, said study
co-author Dr. Eric B. Rimm of the Harvard University
School of Public Health in Boston.
Among the men Rimm and his colleagues followed,
those who were obese at the study's start were
90 percent more likely to develop ED than normal-weight
men were. Similarly, smokers had a 50 percent
greater risk than non-smokers.
On the other hand, regular exercise appeared
to protect against erectile problems. Men who
reported the highest exercise levels at the
study's start were 30 percent less likely than
their inactive peers to develop ED over the
next 14 years.
At one time, Rimm noted in an interview, erectile
problems were thought to be largely psychological.
But it has become clear that heart disease and
ED share many of the same risk factors, he said.
Anything that impairs blood vessel function
and blood flow could affect erectile function,
and it's known that certain medical conditions
that raise the risk of heart disease -- like
high blood pressure and diabetes - can also
lead to ED.
Similarly, the lifestyle choices that affect
cardiovascular health, like smoking and exercise
habits, influence ED risk.
This knowledge may nudge more men to make lifestyle
changes, Rimm said, since heart disease can
seem a distant risk, but erectile problems may
be more immediate. In addition, he said, with
obesity rates climbing among young people, the
ED risk associated with obesity may increasingly
become apparent at relatively young ages.
Source : http://maconareaonline.com/news.asp?id=14515 |
