Erectile Dysfunction and Diabetes

According to the Mayo Clinic, as many as eighty percent of men with diabetes have erectile dysfunction. This is about four times the rate of erectile dysfunction in the general population.

Diabetic men develop erectile dysfunction ten or fifteen years younger than other men. In non_diabetic men, erectile dysfunction most often develops after age 65. But diabetic men can experience erectile dysfunction in their twenties and thirties.

You are more likely to have erectile dysfunction if your diabetes is severe. The longer you have had diabetes, the more likely it is that you will have erectile dysfunction. The usual causes for erectile dysfunction caused by diabetes are nerve and blood vessel damage or poor blood sugar control.

Nerve damage or neuropathy can happen anywhere in your body due to diabetes. When it happens in your penis, your emotional response of sexual desire is not sent to your penis, and it does not respond.

Blood vessel damage causes erectile dysfunction when arteries that supply blood to the penis are narrowed or hardened by conditions that often occur with diabetes. Then the blood supply to the penis is compromised and erectile function is affected.

Poorly controlled blood sugar can inhibit the production of nitric oxide. Without enough nitric oxide, blood can flow out of your penis instead of being trapped there to cause an erection.

You can prevent this kind of damage if you control your blood sugar and exercise regularly. Smoking decreases nitric oxide levels and also narrows arteries, so you have two reasons to quit. Excessive alcohol can damage blood vessels, so keep your intake to two or fewer drinks a day.

Being physically active is one of the best things you can do to prevent erectile dysfunction and diabetes_related complications. It improves circulation and helps control blood sugar.