Did you know your diet and lifestyle can significantly affect your erectile function? Many studies have found that diet and lifestyle can affect erectile function and protect against erectile dysfunction (ED) in the long term. However, if your diet and lifestyle are not good it also increases your risk of ED as well. Learn how diet and lifestyle affect erectile function and how to improve them in this article. If you want to know more about urological health, visit us at Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center and consult with the best nephrologists and urologists in East New York.
How do diet and lifestyle affect erectile function?
Your diet and lifestyle significantly affect your erectile function. When it comes to your diet, what you consume can affect your erectile functionality and overall health. If your diet consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, legumes, and fish, and you avoid full-fat dairy and red and processed meats it may keep your erectile function healthy in the long term.
One prospective cohort study of 21,469 men from the U.S. was designed to learn more information about diet and ED links. It was found that men who use the Mediterranean diet had higher scores on the test. This means they consumed a healthy diet and experienced a minimal risk of ED whether they were under 60 or above.
Many studies also find equivalent results that maintaining healthy eating patterns over time may help to protect against developing ED or severe ED. However, if your diet is high in saturated fats (especially, found in meat and dairy products), it increases cholesterol levels. Some cholesterol is essential for cell and hormone production, but high cholesterol can increase the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and other vascular diseases. Over time, this causes fatty deposits to build up in blood vessels, which makes it difficult for proper blood flow throughout the body which also includes erections that rely on good blood flow to the penis. So, having high cholesterol can create difficulty in the erectile process and impair erectile function.
If you have poor eating habits that lead to obesity or becoming overweight, it may lead to ED. Many studies reveal that obesity is connected with other conditions like diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and ED. High blood pressure and diabetes may impact penile blood flow which affects a person’s ability to achieve and maintain an erection.
Testosterone levels also get affected by a person’s weight. Normal testosterone levels in men can help to facilitate erections, but low testosterone often occurs with ED. One study examined the connection between body mass index (BMI) and ED in 2,435 Italian men and found that people who are overweight, obese, and severely obese had low testosterone levels (testosterone decreases as BMI increases). So, your weight plays a crucial role in preventing ED.
If you drink too much alcohol, it may affect your sexual function, causing issues like erectile dysfunction (ED), low sexual desire, and premature ejaculation. Sometimes prescription medications that are used to treat erectile dysfunction don’t work well when you’ve been drinking.
Similarly, your lifestyle also affects erectile function in numerous ways. If you smoke, then it increases the risk of ED. Many studies found that smoking increases the risk of developing ED by 1.5 to 2 times more. Not only that, but smokers also have a considerable risk of developing other chronic conditions like CVD and diabetes which also contribute to ED. The duration you’ve been a smoker and how much you smoke in a day are the factors that determine your risk of ED. This happens because smoking can narrow the blood vessels and increase blood pressure, which interferes with the function of erection and maintaining the erection.
Similarly, if you quit smoking, patients (only after 1 year) noticed a 25% improvement in erectile function while smokers didn’t see any improvement. Make sure when you quit smoking, you take ED treatment to ensure your body gets better.
Similarly, if you have a sedentary lifestyle and are not regularly active physically, it significantly increases the risk factors for ED. Some studies found that very active people have less risk of ED compared to men who are not very active. Similarly, sedentary behavior is strongly linked with ED. It has been found that people who spend 5 hours on TV or computer screens report 3 times more ED than those who spend 1 hour of TV or computer time. That’s why it is crucial to stay physically active to enhance erectile function and well-being.
How to improve Erectile function?
- For a diet, you need to eat a healthy balanced diet like the Mediterranean diet to ensure your body gets the proper nutrients that are required to produce sex hormones and good blood flow in the body to ensure a proper erection and maintain it.
- Limit the intake of red meats and fats that increase your cholesterol levels.
- Drink alcohol in the limit to avoid blood pressure issues.
- Avoid making poor eating choices like consuming excessive sugar or salty foods that increase the risk of conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity, all contribute to ED.
- Similarly, maintaining a healthy lifestyle by staying physically active, quitting smoking or drugs that affect your blood flow, and increasing the risk of ED. It is recommended that 3 to 4 40-minute sessions per week of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity can keep your erectile function healthy along with overall well-being.
Your diet and lifestyle affect erectile function and long-term sexual health. If your diet and lifestyle are healthy you can maintain erection longer and have no problem with erectile dysfunction even when you get quite old. In contrast, if your diet and lifestyle are not healthy, the chances of developing ED will be higher. So, make sure you follow the above-mentioned diet and lifestyle preferences to keep your erectile function healthy.
Need help with erectile dysfunction, visit our men’s health experts in Brooklyn clinic to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!
At Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center, our team of urologists will work with you in managing your disease and your quality of life. We also offer services, such as renal and bladder ultrasound. To schedule an appointment, please visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212 or call +1-718-367-2555 You can also visit our website at https://www.urologistbrooklyn.com/.
