Lifestyle Changes, Not Pills, Can Correct Erectile Dysfunction, Study Suggests

Erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra may not be necessary to treat the condition, according to new research that suggests patients can correct the problem by focusing on lifestyle rather than medication.

"Sexual relations are not only an important part of people's wellbeing. From a clinical point of view, the inability of some men to perform sexually can also be linked to a range of other health problems, many of which can be debilitating or potentially fatal," said Gary Wittert a professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Wittert, who heads the university's Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health, and his collaborators studied Australian men aged 35-80 years over a five-year period. Of the 810 men involved in the study, 31 percent of them developed some form of erectile dysfunction during the study period.

"Our study saw a large proportion of men suffering from some form of erectile dysfunction, which is a concern. The major risk factors for this are typically physical conditions rather than psychological ones, such as being overweight or obese, a higher level of alcohol intake, having sleeping difficulties or obstructive sleep apnoea, and age," Wittert said in a statement. "The good news is, our study also found that a large proportion of men were naturally overcoming erectile dysfunction issues. The remission rate of those with erectile dysfunction was 29 percent, which is very high."

"This shows that many of these factors affecting men are modifiable, offering them an opportunity to do something about their condition," Wittert continued.

Lead study author Sean Martin, also from the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health, stressed the importance of lifestyle factor affecting men with erectile dysfunction.

"Even when medication to help with erectile function is required, it is likely to be considerably more effective if lifestyle factors are also addressed," he said.

"Erectile dysfunction can be a very serious issue because it's a marker of underlying cardiovascular disease, and it often occurs before heart conditions become apparent. Therefore, men should consider improving their weight and overall nutrition, exercise more, drink less alcohol and have a better night's sleep, as well as address risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

"This is not only likely to improve their sexual ability, but will be improve their cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of developing diabetes if they don't already have it," Martin said.

The researchers published their study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.