Healthy living
Body matters
‘Use it or lose it’ say sex researchers
Having regular sexual intercourse helps older men avoid erectile dysfunction
Scientists from the University of Tampere in Finland looked at nearly 1,000 Finnish men aged between 55 and 75 over a five-year period. The team found that those men who were regularly having sex at the start of the study were significantly less likely to develop erectile dysfunction (ED).
Erectile dysfunction, when a man finds it difficult to get and maintain an erection, is a common medical complaint affecting up to 50 per cent of men between 40 and 70. In men aged 70 and above this increases to about seven in 10 men. It is usually caused by narrowing of blood vessels that take the blood to the penis.
The team found that men who had sex less than once a week were twice as likely to develop ED than men who had sex once a week or more. In fact the more often the men had sex, the lower their ED risk.
The Finnish researchers suggest that regular sexual activity helps keep the blood vessels in the penis in tiptop condition which in turn reduces the risk of ED.
The root cause of the narrowing of the arteries is a condition called atheroma – this is when the arteries get furred up with fatty deposits. This is the same problem that can occur in other blood vessels that increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. The study was published in the American Journal of Medicine.
As with heart disease, men who smoke, drink heavily or are overweight are more likely to suffer from ED. Stress, anxiety and depression can also lead to problems with sexual performance.
There are a number of treatment options that you can discuss with your specialist or GP. A common solution is to take a tablet before sex – such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. These medications work in about eight out of 10 cases but will not cause an erection unless the man is sexually aroused.
If you have ED you may also be advised to make life-style changes to lower your risk of developing heart disease – such as taking regular exercise, having a healthy diet, cutting down on alcohol and stopping smoking.
Useful website
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
