Statins could improve your sex life

Researchers have shown that statins could improve erectile function in men suffering from cardiovascular disease.

The research, conducted at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, found that statin medication prescribed to lower cholesterol and decrease the chance of heart attack and stroke, also improves a man's erectile function.

John B. Kostis, professor of medicine, director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the study's principal investigator, said that older men who have poor cardiovascular health, diabetes or metabolic syndrome often experience erectile dysfunction - and the prevalence of these diseases is expected to increase.

He said that their research indicates that statins not only improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack, but also improve erectile function in the men included in our analysis.

Kostis suggested that ED may serve as a warning sign of cardiovascular disease. In such patients, prescribing statins following the detection of cardiovascular disease could offer early benefits in addition to improved sexual function.

The study is based on an analysis of 11 randomized controlled research studies on erectile dysfunction and statins that all used the International Inventory of Erectile Function - a self-reporting evaluation of male sexual function considered the standard of measurement in clinical trials of ED.

The findings have been published in the The Journal of Sexual Medicine.