In a new study from the University of Athens, researchers found a Mediterranean diet is linked to improvements in erectile dysfunction.
Men with high blood pressure are twice as likely to have erectile dysfunction as their peers with normal blood pressure.
Erectile dysfunction is primarily considered a disorder of the small arteries, which lose the ability to dilate and augment flow. Declining testosterone levels in middle age contribute to its onset.
Previous research has shown that fitness is linked with improved survival in men with high blood pressure, while the Mediterranean diet lowers blood pressure and prevents heart attacks and strokes in individuals at high heart disease risk.
In the study, the team assessed adherence to the Mediterranean diet in middle-aged men with high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction.
This dietary pattern emphasizes fruit, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil, modest consumption of dairy products, and limiting red meat.
The researchers then examined whether dietary habits were linked with fitness, testosterone levels, blood flow, arterial stiffness, and erectile performance.
The study included 250 men with high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction. The average age was 56 years.
The researchers found that men with a higher Mediterranean diet score also had higher coronary flow reserve and testosterone, better erectile performance, and lower arterial stiffness.
They also found that patients with greater exercise capacity had higher coronary flow reserve, testosterone, Mediterranean diet score, and lower arterial stiffness.
The findings suggest that consuming a Mediterranean diet was linked with better exercise capacity, healthier arteries and blood flow, higher testosterone levels, and better erectile performance.
It seems plausible that this dietary pattern may improve fitness and erectile performance by enhancing the function of the blood vessels and limiting the fall in testosterone that occurs in midlife.
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The study was presented at ESC Congress 2021. One author of the study is Dr. Athanasios Angelis.
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