Can High Cholesterol Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

Key Takeaways

• Erectile dysfunction may occur in patients with high cholesterol due to hardened and narrowed blood vessels.
• Cholesterol management with medications may alleviate erectile dysfunction.
• Also, there are prescription medications specifically for erectile dysfunction.
• Erectile dysfunction may be caused by several factors. It may be due to problems with hormones, nerves, and blood vessels.

Narrowed blood vessels due to high cholesterol increase the risk of erectile dysfunction. Cholesterol also increases the risk of a heart attack and a stroke, but it may also increase the risk of erectile dysfunction because it hardens blood vessels in the penis. Now, let us look at the relationship between high cholesterol and ED.

What Is The Connection Between High Cholesterol And Erectile Dysfunction?

High cholesterol contributes to ED in two primary ways:

• high cholesterol decreases blood flow to the penis
• high cholesterol increases the blood vessels’ resistance to relaxing.
• Both of these will be discussed in detail below.

Reduces Blood Flow To The Penis

Before you can get an erection, there needs to be more blood flowing to the penis. The blood fills a pair of hollow chambers which are found within the penis and make it firm.

Though having excess cholesterol in the bloodstream is generally bad, it does help build a defense against heart disease. The side effect is that you are gradually developing arterial disease in the blood vessels.

Arterial disease leads to firming and narrowing of blood vessels, making the blood not want to flow to your penis. This causes you to have Erectile Dysfunction.

As you can see, high cholesterol is bad in a way that it increases the risk of you having ED, but it does give you some protection against heart disease.

Reduces The Ability Of The Penis Muscles To Relax

In addition, high cholesterol can prevent you from producing enough nitric oxide. This is needed to relax the muscular wall of the penis. Relaxation will allow for blood to easily enter the penis and maintain the erection.

Could Lowering Cholesterol Help My ED?

Having high cholesterol and ED is definitely not healthy, but in some cases, having high cholesterol does lower symptoms of ED.

There are two main types of cholesterol. LDL stands for “low-density lipoprotein.” This is the type of cholesterol that people refer to as “bad cholesterol” and can lead to atherosclerosis. If your cholesterol levels are elevated, ED is more likely to occur.

Since a higher number of LDLs means that atherosclerosis is worsened, and since atherosclerosis is made worse by elevated cholesterol levels, lowering your LDL levels helps lower the risk of ED.

Treating Erectile Dysfunction: The Secondary Role Of High Cholesterol

The treatment for ED has two approaches: one the treatment for high cholesterol (the LDL), and the other the treatment of ED with medication.

Reduce LDL

If the levels of the “bad” cholesterol (LDL) are reduced, the symptoms of ED are reduced as a consequence. The absence of a worsening in the ED symptoms does not mean that ED has fully resolved. With some people, improvements in ED symptoms have actually been seen with the levels of cholesterol in the healthy range.

Statins are medications that reduce LDL levels and help treat high cholesterol.

Some examples are:

• Atorvastatin
• Rosuvastatin
• Simvastatin

In a series of studies, it was discovered that improvements in ED were noted in men who were diagnosed with high cholesterol and were started on statin therapy.

Along with using statin, you can help keep your blood vessels healthy by engaging in regular physical activity, eating a plant based diet and exercising to maintain an ideal body mass index.

ED Medicine

Medications can help treat symptoms of ED. While ED meds can’t cure it, they can help men achieve and maintain an erection.

Viagra and Cialis are two examples. They are used to treat erectile dysfunction by relaxing the muscles in blood vessels in the penis.

If you have only high cholesterol, it is usually safe to take Viagra. However, it is important to discuss these medications with a health professional because it may not be safe for you with other medical concerns and/or medications.

Other Risk Factors For ED

Other risk factors for ED include:

• obesity
• type 2 diabetes
• chronic kidney disease (CKD)
• multiple sclerosis (MS)
• buildup of plaques in penis
• surgeries for bladder cancer
• injuries caused by treatment for prostate cancer
• injuries to the penis, spinal cord, bladder, pelvis, or prostate
• depression
• drug use, smoking, or drinking
• anxiety
• mental or emotional stress

Some medications lead to ED, including:

• antidepressants
• prescription sedatives
• appetite suppressants
• blood pressure medications
• prostate cancer therapy
• ulcer drugs

Treatment Of Erectile Dysfunction

From daily medication to even lifestyle changes, there are multiple ways to treat ED.

• Counseling
• managing your medication
• testosterone therapy
• vacuum therapy or the use of a penis pump
• Other ways you can treat the symptoms of ED with medication include:
• oral medications avanafil, sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn)
• prostaglandin E1 (alprostadil), injectable form (Caverject, Edex)
• alprostadil (MUSE), pill suppository form

There are other lifestyle changes that may help to lower cholesterol and improve ED. These options include:

Walking More

Walking 30 minutes per day can reduce your risk of ED by 41%, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

Physical Fitness

ED is a risk for the obese. A 2014 study found that 79% of obese or overweight men reported erectile dysfunction.

Active and healthy lifestyle changes, including quitting smoking and limiting alcohol intake, can help decrease your risk of ED.

Bottom Line

The penis needs blood to become erect. High cholesterol stiffens and narrows blood vessels. High cholesterol also interferes with the smooth muscles in the penis relaxing, which prevents blood flow to the penis and leads to ED. Statin treatment of high cholesterol may improve sexual health.