Are YOU aware of the impact of heart disease on erectile dysfunction?

MEN have “poor knowledge” about the threat heart disease poses to a healthy sex life, reveals research.

 

Not enough men are aware of link between heart disease and erectile dysfunction

 

MEN have “poor knowledge” about the threat heart disease poses to a healthy sex life, reveals research.

Heart disease is a leading cause of erectile dysfunction (ED), but not enough men are aware of this - and inadequate sex education is to blame.

Some 80 per cent of the men in the study experienced ED, but barely any could adequately identify what was to blame and the modifiable risks, revealed the Polish study.

 

80 per cent of the men studied couldn't identify the risks making them suffer from ED

 

The research highlighted almost 40 per cent of the men surveyed could not name any of the six ways they could limit their risk of ED.

Smoking, being overweight, diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, and a lack of exercise are all factors which increase the likelihood of problems between the sheets.

Shockingly, a mere six per cent were able to name all of these risk factors. Many blamed low testosterone, cycling or benign prostate tumours for the ED.

 

Most men couldn't identify a lack of exercise as a risk factor

 

The most frequently mentioned ED risk factor was smoking. Most of the men didn’t suggest an inactive lifestyle as a cause - despite it being one of the biggest risk factors.

The research looked at 500 men with an average aged of 62 who had coronary (ischemic) heart disease, a condition that restricts blood flow.

They were nearly all overweight and 15 per cent were obese. Most smoked, had high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.

  

Researchers blame a lack of education for the men's misunderstanding

 

Researchers blame a lack of education for the poor knowledge of IHD patients about potential risk factors.

Study co-author Zygmunt Domagala from Wroclaw Medical University in Poland said: "Patients simply don’t understand that a healthy lifestyle with leisure time physical activity and some diet modifications such as eating fish can influence penile function.”

The study was published in the Journal of Impotence Research.