How University of Texas Study suggests Coffee reduces Erectile Dysfunction in 20-y-o Men

“Even though we saw a reduction in the prevalence of erectile dysfunction with men who were obese, overweight and hypertensive, that was not true of men with diabetes. Diabetes is one of the strongest risk factors for erectile dysfunction, so this was not surprising”

Lead author Dr. David Lopez, assistant professor at UTHealth School of Public Health, said in a university news release on Research on coffee and Erectile Dysfunction

It is true what Frank Sinatra says; there's an awful lot of coffee in Brazil.

Coffee may also help reduce the risk of developing erectile dysfunction according to a study by University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston as reported in the article “Coffee Can Help Fight Erectile Dysfunction – Study”, published Wednesday April 13, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Looks like I'll have to start patronizing my favorite baristas at the Coffee shops in New Kingston and Half-Way-Tree more often as listed in my blog article entitled “Why I love Coffee Houses in Kingston - Great place for Secret Business Meetings in Kingston and St. Andrew”. 

The research, led by Assistant Professor at UTHealth School of Public Health Dr. David Lopez, found that as it relates to the risk of erectile dysfunction:

1.      20-y-o and older men who consumed 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day had a reduced risk

2.      Risk reduction was more strongly correlated with overweight 20-y-o men 

3.      Diabetic men show no reduction in their risk

This great news follows on the study published in November 2015 by the Harvard University Chan School of Public Health that suggested that heavy coffee drinkers had a reduced risk dying from hereditary lifestyle diseases as explained in my blog article entitled “Why Harvard University Chan School of Public Health says Coffee reduces hereditary lifestyle disease risk”. 

So how did the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston discover coffee had the ability to make you rise to the occasion?

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and coffee - 3,700 men Salute the Benefits of Drinking Coffee

The study done by Dr. Lopez and his team involved digging into the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and looking at the records of some 3,700 men as noted in the article “Coffee could reduce risk of erectile dysfunction”, published May 21, 2015 by Robert Preidt, CBS News. 

The study targeted men 20 years and older, who had an 18% risk of developing erectile dysfunction. In that survey, the men were asked to recall their coffee drinking habits in previous 24 hours.

However, from the outset, the clear culprit was Caffeine, which the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulates as it can kill in excess as noted in my blog article entitled “FDA to regulate Caffeine after Ohio Resident overdoses and dies - How Chocolate and Cocoa are healthier alternatives as No Caffeine High from Dark Chocolate”. 

To this end, the study used average coffee drinker who drank zero to 7 milligrams of caffeine a day as a control group or baseline, with anything above being considered heavy coffee drinking.

The results discovered by these data scientists were quite interesting:

1.      42% were less likely to report erectile dysfunction if the drank 85 to 170 milligrams of caffeine a day

2.      39% were less likely to report erectile dysfunction if the drank 171 to 303 milligrams of caffeine a day

So why does this happen?

The Vasodilatory effect of Caffeine - Drinking Coffee is good for you in moderation

The 85 to 170 milligrams of caffeine a day translates to roughly two to three cups of coffee a day, establishing the relationship. However, the reason why this statistical relationship exists is still unproven.

According to study co-author Dr Run Wang, one possible explanation is that caffeine has a vasodilatory effect; it relaxes aeries in the penis and causes blood to flow, making erection possible, somewhat similar to Viagra.

The comments of Dr. David Samadi, chair of urology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City support this theory, as he suspects that caffeine before sex causes more  the cavernous smooth muscle tissue in the penis to relax, allowing increased blood flow to the make the penis rise to the occasion, quote: “More research is needed, but what scientists think is happening here is that coffee and caffeine are causing cavernous smooth muscle tissue (found in the penis) to relax, allowing more blood flow to the area and leading to improved erectile function”.

Interestingly too, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee already touts drinking three to five cups daily as a way to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, to quote Dr. Natan Bar-Chama, director of Male Reproductive Medicine at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City: “These findings also support the latest U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee position that drinking three to five cups a day reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease; two conditions that are well established as significant risk factors for erectile dysfunction”.

So, coffee drinking and in fact drinking any drink that has Caffeine in it may be good after all, so long as you don't exceed the limit of three to five cups daily as per the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Would be interesting to discover why caffeine has this effect, as it might mean Caffeine may be a cheaper alternative to Viagra.