Is Your High Cholesterol Causing Your Erectile Dysfunction?

If you consider that poor heart health is one cause of erectile dysfunction, and that high levels of cholesterol can affect your heart health, it stands to reason that treating high cholesterol might also help treat erectile dysfunction. But is it true?

Treating high cholesterol with drugs

Statins—drugs used to lower cholesterol levels—are giving researchers the runaround in terms of whether or not they can improve erectile function.

A 2009 study published in the journal Drug Safety came to the conclusion that statins may actually cause or aggravate ED.

But a 2014 study published in the Asian Journal of Andrology concluded that statins may actually improve erectile dysfunction over time.

The following year, the Journal of Sexual Medicine published the results of a study that found no link between statins and an increased risk of ED.

But a study published in the March 2017 journal Andrologia found that statins did improve erectile function in rats, but not because they reduced lipid levels. When the ED improved but the cholesterol levels didn’t decrease, the researchers concluded that the improvement was due to changes in the endothelium—an interior surface in blood vessels.

Treating high cholesterol with dietary changes

The jury might be out on statins treating erectile dysfunction, but most doctors agree that changing your diet can have a major impact on your cholesterol levels, and ED.

According to an article on Healthline.com, you should avoid the following:

• Whole-fat dairy
• Red meat
• Eggs
• Cocoa butter, palm oil and coconut oil
• Trans fats (typically found in processed foods)

So what should you eat to lower your cholesterol and possibly help your ED?

Whole grains, fish, fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, soybeans and soy-based foods, and “good” vegetable oils, such as sunflower, safflower and canola oil.

If you’re not getting enough B-12 vitamins, consider taking a supplement, as a B-12 deficiency has been linked to erectile dysfunction.

Whatever the cause of your ED, consider getting a prescription for Viagra, Cialis or Levitra, which can help most men with their erectile dysfunction.