Lowering Your Cholesterol May Improve Your Sex Life

Newswise — New Brunswick, N.J. -- A new study is giving hope to older men who are concerned about the effects of cholesterol-lowering medications on their sexual health. The study by researchers at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School indicates that statin medication prescribed to lower cholesterol and decrease the chance of having a heart attack and stroke, also improves a man’s erectile function. The investigators presented their findings today at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session and simultaneously released the study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

“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,” said John B. Kostis, MD, professor of medicine, director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the study’s principal investigator. “Our 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.”

Dr. Kostis suggested that ED may serve as a warning sign of cardiovascular disease. “Similar to a canary in a coal mine,” he said.

In such patients, prescribing statins following the detection of cardiovascular disease could offer early benefits in addition to improved sexual function. He cautioned, however, that until further study is conducted, statins should not be prescribed for erectile dysfunction alone or when it may be caused by psychosocial factors. Kostis added that further study is needed to determine the link between statin therapy and the improvement of erectile function.

“Ultimately, a healthy lifestyle is the best method to prevent disease, including erectile dysfunction,” said Kostis. “But statin therapy has been proven to provide long-term benefits in reducing cardiovascular disease and the detrimental consequences associated with it. Offering statin therapy to improve erectile function may extend these benefits further.”

Kostis added that he hopes this added benefit of statins on better erectile performance will encourage men to adhere to taking the medication as prescribed by their physician.

The study is a meta-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 that is considered the standard of measurement in clinical trials of ED. There was no relationship of the average age of trial participants and the degree of LDL cholesterol lowering of statin with the outcome of the analysis.

About Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolAs one of the nation's leading comprehensive medical schools, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school's principal affiliate, they comprise New Jersey's premier academic medical center. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 20 basic science and clinical departments, and hosts centers and institutes including The Cardiovascular Institute, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, visit rwjms.rutgers.edu. Find us online at facebook.com/RWJMedicalSchool and twitter.com/RWJMS. #