IMPOTENCE
Report #7267
Being overweight or having high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels or diabetes can make a man impotent.
More than 80% of impotence is caused by arteriosclerosis blocking arteries or diabetes because you need open arteries and undamaged nerves to have an erection. A recent study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health shows that as men age, their blood levels of the male hormone, testosterone, drop. and those/ whose testosterone levels drop the most/ are the ones with high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol and sugar levels. Arteriosclerosis blocks arteries and damages testicles and interferes with their ability to make the male hormone, testosterone.
If you are impotent, check with your doctor who will order blood tests for diabetes, cholesterol, testosterone and a brain tumor that makes too much prolactin. If your blood sugar or cholesterol is high, you need to start a low fat, high-fiber diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, start a controlled exercise program, lower high blood pressure and reduce to a normal weight. Chances are that your testosterone will also be low. Exciting new research shows a host of drugs that can also be used to treat impotence.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
JM Zmuda, JA Cauley, A Kriska, NW Glynn, JP Gutai, LH Kuller. Longitudinal relation
between endogenous testosterone and cardiovascular disease risk factors in middle-aged men
- A 13-year follow-up of former Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial participants.
American Journal of Epidemiology 146: 8 (OCT 15 1997):609-617.
Checked 8/9/05; see report #M127.