Researchers looked at data collected from 2,549 men between the ages of 41 and 64 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1988 to 1994. They began by developing a healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI) based on the food frequency questionnaire the men filled out as part of the survey. From there, researchers examined the association between a high hPDI score and the frequency of reported erectile dysfunction. 

Of the total participants, 57.4 percent reported “some degree” of ED. After multiple variables were accounted for, the researchers discovered that with every unit increase in a man’s hPDI score, his risk of ED decreased. 

“Sexual health is closely linked to cardiovascular health. Erections require healthy blood vessels and good blood flow to the penis,” explains Stacy Loeb, MD, professor of urology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “Erectile dysfunction has been called ‘the canary in the coal mine’ as it may precede cardiovascular events by several years. Consuming more healthful plant-based foods has been linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, so it is not surprising that they are also associated with a lower risk of erectile dysfunction.”

The Myth of Masculinity and Meat

A diet full of red meat has long been considered a marker of “true” masculinity and virility in Western cultures, but Loeb points out that the scientific literature refutes that assumption. 

“Numerous studies have shown that men who consume more meat are more likely to develop erectile dysfunction. It is also important to note that the World Health Organization classifies processed meats like hot dogs and bacon as Group 1 carcinogens (i.e., causes cancer), the same category as smoking and asbestos. The World Health Organization classifies other meats like beef, pork and lamb as Group 2a carcinogens, which means they probably cause cancer. “

Plant-Based Diets Support Prostate Health Too

At the same time this study was released, two other studies were presented at the conference that linked a healthy vegan diet to lower PSA levels and decreased risk of prostate cancer in men. 

In both studies, researchers tracked data from thousands of men across the United States and looked at whether diet choices impacted prostate health. The study that examined PSA levels concluded there is a significant association between a plant-based diet and lower PSA levels. The authors are now urging all medical professionals to incorporate diet as part of their treatment plans for men who are at an elevated risk of developing cancer.

In the study that explored the relationship between plant-based diets and rates of prostate cancer diagnosis, researchers found that men under 65 at the time of diagnosis were less likely to develop advanced stages of cancer if they adhered to a healthful diet. Additionally, the data indicated that younger men who eat a plant-based diet have a significantly reduced risk of ever being diagnosed or dying from prostate cancer. 

“Increased consumption of a healthy plant-based diet has significant benefits for urologic and sexual health,” says Loeb. “These studies show that dietary interventions can make positive impacts for overall health, as well as specific urologic conditions faced by millions of men.”

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What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?

Blood vessel problems are the most common cause of ED, but the condition can also stem from muscular, hormonal, psychological, and/or nervous system-related issues.

Furthermore, physical and psychological problems can interact to cause or worsen erectile dysfunction: Difficulty achieving an erection due to a minor physical issue can cause anxiety; that anxiety can, in turn, cause further difficulty. Also, depression, stress, and relationship issues all can result in ED. Some of the physical causes of ED include hardening of blood vessels to the pelvic arteries (atherosclerosis); a variety of heart diseases often due to atherosclerosis; smoking; high blood pressure; cholesterol disorders; diabetes mellitus; multiple sclerosis; alcoholism; prior prostate cancer surgery; spinal cord injury; poor dental health; prescription drug effects; and Parkinson’s disease.

What Is the Connection Between ED and Arteries?

The inner lining of every artery, including arteries to the pelvis, is a single layer of cells called the endothelium. It is estimated that your endothelium would cover six to seven tennis courts of surface area if stretched out! An appreciation of the endothelium won three researchers the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998: They figured out that when this wallpaper-like lining was healthy, it produced the gas nitric oxide (NO), which resists plaque, clotting, or constriction of arteries. A good endothelium leads to good sustained erections, just as it leads to good heart artery flow. 

What Is the Heart Risk with ED?

ED is a powerful predictor of future heart events even in men who have no known heart issues. For example, if you live in Olmsted County, Minnesota, near the Mayo Clinic, and are a man between the ages of 40 and 49 without known heart disease but with ED, you have up to a 50-fold higher likelihood of eventually having new heart events compared with men the same age without ED. Rarely in medicine is there ever a risk factor this powerful. 

Are Diabetes and ED Connected?

Men with diabetes have nearly twice the risk of ED. Recent data indicate that in diabetic men ED predicts the presence of diseased arteries and future heart events several years before a heart attack or heart death—making ED a stronger predictive factor than smoking, high blood pressure, or even a family history of early heart disease. 

Furthermore, in diabetic men who have ED, the risk of future heart events may be three to four times the rate of nondiabetic men who have ED. Recognizing the connection between diabetes, ED,  and cardiovascular disease allows time to identify, treat, and reverse arterial damage.  

How Do Lifestyle and Diet Impact ED?

Lifestyle factors are known to harm the endothelium and its production of nitric oxide, leading to ED. The standard American diet (high in processed foods packed with chemicals, fat, sugar, and salt), lack of exercise, poorly managed stress, environmental toxins such as BPA, and poor sleep are among the lifestyle factors that produce ED. Diets emphasizing whole plant foods—low in saturated fats and rich in minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients—promote arterial health and erectile success. The flavonoids in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and teas work to prevent ED. 

How Do I Check My Heart If I Have ED?

The first step when ED develops is to seek out a health care practitioner for complete lab work and assessment for undiagnosed heart disease and other medical conditions. The American Heart Association recently updated its guidelines for the management of cholesterol to consider a simple CT scan of the heart known as a coronary artery calcium score (CACS) as pivotal in deciding on therapy and identifying silent heart disease. Abnormalities of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, sleep, and weight, and lifestyle risk factors such as smoking and stress need to be corrected. 

How Do I Treat ED?

For nearly three decades it has been known that just as arteries can worsen with time, they can also improve. Sometimes reversal will require prescription medication to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar, but natural approaches have been proven to work and actually address the root cause of most cases of ED: arterial health. 

Diet

In 1990, Dean Ornish, MD, showed that atherosclerosis of heart arteries was reversible using a whole-food, plant-based diet and other lifestyle measures. The data has become so robust that the Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program was recognized by Medicare in 2010 for reimbursement as a therapy for CAD. A similar plant-based dietary program based out of the Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami received the same Medicare designation for intensive therapy and reversal of heart disease. Many men pursuing these programs report improvements in ED. 

Exercise

The role of exercise combined with diet is crucial for the success of these programs. Research studies indicate the greater the commitment to exercise, the lower the risk of ED. 

Prescription Medications vs. Natural Remedies

A variety of prescription and natural remedies are specifically used for ED. Sildenafil (Viagra) was originally developed and studied as a heart drug when male research subjects reported an unexpected “side effect”: greatly improved erections. The plans for Viagra as a heart drug were abandoned and a new class of drugs, which now includes Levitra and Cialis, was launched and have become blockbusters with a high safety margin. However, these drugs do not reverse the root causes of ED. Natural agents such as maca, bergamot, berberine, aged garlic, pomegranate, citrulline, and beetroot all may support healthy artery function and are often used as over-the-counter aids for ED. 

Low-Intensity Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (LIST)

The newest addition to the treatment of ED is low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (LIST). Extracorporeal shockwave therapy was first introduced first for kidney stones, and then adapted as a heart treatment in Europe at a much lower intensity, hence LIST. The shock waves stimulate blood vessel and nerve growth, stem cell release, and production of more NO to correct the most common underlying pathologies leading to ED: impaired nerve and blood vessel function. LIST is a simple and effective addition to the treatment of ED in men (and soon to be adapted for sexual impairment in women) that I use in my clinic with quite impressive results. I have found that the positive response to LIST opens the door for many men to take better care of their overall health and adopt a whole-food, plant-based diet. 

Ready to get started? Check out our Plant-Based Primer to learn more about adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet.

This article was originally published on Sept. 20, 2019, and has been updated.

The post How Erectile Dysfunction Can Save a Life (and Be Reversed) appeared first on Forks Over Knives.