Study: 3 Cups of Coffee A Day Reduces Erectile Dysfunction Risk

Men who drink 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day had a lower chance of developing erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a recent study.

Previous research has suggested that caffeine consumption may improve ED symptoms, but there is a lack of population-based studies investigating this relationship, according to researchers.
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For their study, researchers evaluated data from 3724 men > 20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), estimating their caffeine intake by analyzing 24-hour dietary recall data. Caffeine sources included coffee, soda, tea, and energy drinks.

Overall, the study showed that men who consumed 85 to 170 mg of caffeine a day were 42% less likely to have ED than those consuming 0-7 mg of caffeine a day.¹ Further, participants who drank between 171 mg and 303 mg a day were 39% less likely to report.¹

Note: the levels of caffeine associated with lower risk of ED equated to 2-3 cups of coffee a day.

Higher caffeine intake was also shown to lower risk of ED in participants who were overweight and obese, and those with high blood pressure. No association between ED risk and caffeine consumption was found in patients with diabetes.

“Even though we saw a reduction in the prevalence of ED 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 ED, so this was not surprising.”

The complete study is published in the May issue of PLOS one.

-Michelle Canales Butcher

References:

1. UT Health. Caffeine intake associated with reduced levels of erectile dysfunction. May 20, 2015. www.uth.edu/media/story.htm?id=922a8120-e0fd-4b9d-bd2d-7ba79615cca4. Accessed May 22, 2015.

2. Lopez D, Wang R, Tsilidis KK, et al. Role of caffeine intake on erectile dysfunction in US men: results from NHANES 2001-2004. PLOSone. 2015 May [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123547.