ED and Lifestyle choices
Atherosclerosis is the most common physical cause of erectile dysfunction but what triggers this hardening of the arteries? The answers are the lifestyle choices we make. Let’s start with smoking. Everyone knows and understands the risks of cancer. But nicotine is also a factor in causing damage to the blood vessels. Alongside dietary choices, the nicotine encourages a rise in blood pressure and increases the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. In turn, this damages the walls of the blood vessels.
Of course, the main source of cholesterol is in the food we eat. While a vegetarian diet is largely free of harmful cholesterol, diary products, meats and other high protein sources are full of cholesterol. A proportion of this is deposited on the walls of blood vessels together with dead cells and calcium. This forms plaques that grow into a lining to the vessels, limiting blood flow and preventing dilation and contraction. If the plaque breaks off, this can become a clot causing a stroke or a heart attack.
Can lifestyle choice really prevent erectile dysfunction?
The simple answer is “yes”. Smoking is bad for you in any event but, as a contributing cause to erection problems, this should reinforce your decision to quit. As the nicotine slowly clears from your bloodstream, the damage to the blood vessels will slow. We should make it clear that the vessels will not return to their original state but quitting smoking is a good first step.
The second requires a longer term commitment to change diet and reduce the cholesterol intake. Only when the level of cholesterol drops in the bloodstream will the build-up of plaque stop. As with smoking, reducing the cholesterol intake will not of itself return the blood vessels to a healthy state, but it will halt the build-up and give drugs a chance to undo the damage. It will also help if you cut back on the alcohol consumption.
Finally, you should begin to exercise. Like every other part of your body, the penis is simple muscles at work. If your body has lost its muscle tone, all your major functions will slow. By increasing your activity level, you will regain muscle tone and build up stamina again. When added to the other elements, the overall effect of these lifestyle changes will see you fitter, healthier and more sexually successful. Indeed, if you make these changes, you will probably manage sex without the need for Viagra. For those of you who find such changes too much, Viagra will keep you going.
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