Coffee is one of the most universal drinks in our society. It helps us be more alert in the mornings, it sparks conversations in the afternoons and evenings, and much more. Now a study has revealed that for some men it may even have another added benefit - it reduces the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED).
The new study was conducted by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and shows that drinking only two cups of coffee per day can reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction by as much as 42 percent.
However, just because two cups of coffee offers a benefit of 42 percent, doesn't mean you can drink more for added benefits. The study showed that drinking three cups of coffee per day can reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction by only 39 percent. So, you don't want to overdose on your coffee intake each day as it has diminishing returns. According to researchers, the ideal amount of coffee a man should drink daily is between 85 and 170 milligrams.
Researchers found that these benefits were seen in men who were physically fit and obese, and between men with high blood pressure and good blood pressure. However, men with diabetes did not see any improvement in their sex life.
"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", said Dr. David Lopez, lead author and assistant professor at the University of Texas Health School of Public Health.
Dr. Natan Bar-Chama, director of Male Reproductive Medicine at the Mount Sinai Hospital, agrees with what Dr. Lopez and his team concluded. He said that their findings are all supported by the latest position of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which says that drinking three to five cups of coffee a day reduces the risk of type two diabetes and heart disease. These two conditions have been well established as being significant risk factors for erectile dysfunction.
For the study, researchers looked at about 4,000 men that were tracked by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants had to answer questions relating to their caffeine intake from the previous 24 hours. They took into account coffee, tea, soda and sports drinks.
The theory reached by experts is that caffeine most likely relaxes certain arteries and muscles in the penis, improving blood flow and the ability to have an erection.
According to statistics used in the study, erectile dysfunction affects more than 18 percent of American men, with some of the men being as young as 20.
