2 Cups of Coffee a Day Fight Erectile Dysfunction

Coffee perks up more than your energy levels. New research shows men who drink two to three cups of coffee each day — or the equivalent caffeine level in other beverages — are less likely to have erectile dysfunction.

The findings, by researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, held true even among men with known risk factors for ED — such as high blood pressure, and being overweight or obese. One exception, diabetic men with ED did not benefit from caffeine.

"Even though we saw a reduction in the prevalence of ED with men who were obese, overweigh, and hypertensive, that was not true of men with diabetes," said lead researcher David S. Lopez, an assistant professor at UTHealth School of Public Health.

“Diabetes is one of the strongest risk factors for ED, so this was not surprising.”

The results of a study, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLOS ONE, found that men who consumed between 85 and 170 milligrams of caffeine a day were 42 percent less likely to report ED than those who did not drink coffee or other beverages.

Those who drank between 171 and 303 milligrams of caffeine a day were 39 percent less likely to report ED compared to those who drank zero to seven milligrams a day.

The researchers suggested caffeine may trigger a series of pharmacological effects that lead to the relaxation of arteries and increasing blood flow to the penis in ways that mirror the action of popular ED drugs like Viagra.

In the United States, 18.4 percent of men 20 years and older have ED, suggesting that more than 18 million men are affected.

By Nick Tate