What (and When) You Eat and Drink Can Affect Erectile Dysfunction

For men with erectile dysfunction (ED), even little tidbits of information can provide a glimmer of hope.

So knowing that what and when you eat and drink can affect the performance of your penis can be an especially helpful bit of data.

Urologist James Ulchaker, MD shared some of those helpful insights with the Cleveland Clinic’s Health Essentials website.

Here are some takeaways.

What you drink matters more than what you eat

In the short term, what you drink matters more than what you eat. While alcohol may serve to loosen your inhibitions or relax you after a stressful day, it may not do your penis any favors.

From a physical perspective, too much alcohol can cause or contribute to erectile dysfunction. So while you might feel “laid back” and ready to have sex psychologically from a few beers or glasses of liquor, you may not able to get an erection.

When you drink and eat matters too

“Alcohol is one of the biggest things we ingest that impacts erections,” says Dr. Ulchaker. “But medicines for erectile dysfunction don’t work as well with alcohol or on a full stomach [in some instances]. So I advise guys to … take erectile dysfunction medication at 4:30 p.m. and have some [sex] at 6 p.m., then have a drink and go out to dinner.”

What you eat over time matters a lot too

Like almost any part of the human body, your erections will be affected by your overall health.

Erectile dysfunction has a significant link to body mass index (BMI), so the more overweight you are, the greater your risk of erectile dysfunction.

Of course, that’s not just because you develop erectile dysfunction when you have to get naked in front of someone.

Eating foods that are high in fat can block your arteries, which supply blood to your penis in order for you to get an erection.

If you’ve got erectile dysfunction and are overweight, try to eat healthier and start exercising. In the meantime, you can probably get a prescription for Viagra.