According to a new study published online April 28 in PLOS One, men who consume more caffeine each day may have a lower risk of erectile dysfunction.

The study was conducted by a research team led by David Lopez, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., assistant professor at the UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston.

It is suggested that caffeine triggers a series of pharmacological effects that ultimately results in an increase in penile blood flow.
Colleagues looked at data on 3,724 men tracked by the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The men were asked to recall their caffeine intake from the prior 24 hours.

It was found that two to three cups of coffee a day appeared to reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction. Men who consumed 85 to 170 mg of caffeine a day were 42% less likely to report erectile dysfunction compared to men in the study who consumed 0 to 7 mg of caffeine a day.

Men who consumed 85 to 170 mg of caffeine a day were 42 percent less likely to report erectile dysfunction, and those who consumed 171 to 303 mg of caffeine a day were 39% less likely to report the condition.

That trend was also true among overweight, obese and hypertensive men. However, the results did not translate to men with diabetes.
The study authors believed that caffeine may help prevent erectile dysfunction as it relaxes penile helicine arteries and the cavernous smooth muscle that lines cavernosal spaces, thus improving blood flow.

Lopez said, "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”.