Through studies and research done on men over the age of 60, it has been discovered that heart disease is the condition that leads in the cause of erectile dysfunction and other sexually related problems. This is something that not very many men are aware of.
A Polish study suggests that ischemic heart disease is the form of this condition that is directly related to most of the known cases of erectile dysfunction (ED).
One study that was completed started with a group of 500 men. Nearly 40% of those participants had trouble coming up with the six most common actions that they could take to help in lowering their chances of suffering from ED. Those items include: losing weight, taking care of or controlling diabetes, taking steps to lower cholesterol, exercising more often, lowering blood pressure, and putting a stop to a smoking habit.
The International Journal of Impotence Research posted the results of this study online in December of 2015. Also discovered through the research was the fact that only 31 men could actually name all six of the changes that could be made to help fight ED.
In an email written by Zygmunt Domagala of the Wroclaw Medical University of Poland the statement was made that most men are unaware of the risk and have a false sense of what causes ED. Many believe that the reasons surrounding the issue are prostate tumors, low testosterone, or cycling.
Domagala had stated that the healthy lifestyle, increased physical activity, and changes in diet like adding fish to the menu are points that influence penile function and patients do not understand it.
Most of the men that were used in this study had already suffered from a heart attack at some point. They were an average of 62 years in age.
The majority of the men were also smokers with high blood pressure. The bulk of them were overweight with high cholesterol and diabetes as well. About 15% of the participants were considered to be obese and pretty much all of them did not get enough regular exercise.
About 80% of the study contributors had experienced some form of erectile dysfunction. Out of those reporting they had issues with ED, almost 25% said it was moderate to severe or severe in nature.
The most common change that these men could make in their current lifestyles was the sedentary way they lived. The patients were not as aware of this though as they were of the other reasons for their ED.
179 of the people in the study correctly linked the risk factor of smoking while 166 listed extra weight.
109 of the men that could come up with one of the modifiable risk factors only came up with the one correct reply. 64 of the patients came up with two correct answers, and only 48 could name three proper responses.
The authors of the study came to the conclusion that having ED does not make a man any more able to understand what the reason behind it is. They offered that this may be due to a lack in proper sex education.
The study officials also noted that there were participants that only answered some of the questions making the data related to severity of ED and amount of physical activity preformed skewed.
Dr. Vito Angelo Giagulli is a researcher from the University of Bari in Italy with specialties in endocrinology and metabolic diseases. He stated that he knows how discussing sexual health can be uncomfortable for both doctor and patient making the results found during this study not that surprising. He did not take part in the research.
Giagulli said in an email that he believes that anyone showing signs of ED should talk to their physician in order to improve their quality of life and overall health.