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Packet of Cigarettes a Day 'Raises Risk of Impotence By 40 Per Cent'

Posted on: Thursday, 23 March 2006, 06:00 CST

By Lyndsay Moss Health Correspondent

MEN who smoke a packet of cigarettes a day are almost 40 per cent more likely to be impotent than non-smokers, researchers said yesterday.

A study of more than 8,000 men aged 16 to 59 found about one in ten reported suffering erection problems for a month or more in the previous year.

Those who smoked fewer than 20 cigarettes a day were 24 per cent more likely to report impotence problems, while those who smoked a packet or more each day were 39 per cent more likely.

Anti-smoking campaigners said the research should encourage more people to give up to avoid the embarrassment and distress of impotence.

In the study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, more than 8,000 men in Australia were questioned about their health, smoking habits and sexual problems. More than a quarter were smokers and just over 6 per cent smoked 20 or more cigarettes a day.

The researchers, including a team from Imperial College London, found that the more men smoked, the more likely they were to suffer erection problems.

Older men and those with heart disease were also more likely to suffer from impotence.

The Sexual Dysfunction Association (SDA) says smoking is a contributory factor in many cases of impotence.

This is because smoking, and nicotine in particular, affects the circulatory system and impairs efficient flow in blood vessels - including those in the sexual organs.

Research suggests a smoker who is diagnosed as impotent can be more difficult to treat than a non-smoker. This is due to the fact that smoking increases the likelihood of developing abnormalities in the blood cells in the penis, the SDA said.

Chris Millett, a researcher from Imperial College, said: "Even smoking fewer than 20 cigarettes a day increased the risk of erectile dysfunction by 24 per cent. About one in three British men aged 20 to 34 years is a smoker. Whereas lung cancer and cardiovascular disease can feel distant, impotence may be a more immediate problem for this group.

"By highlighting this link between smoking and erectile problems we may be able to motivate these men to quit."

The study found 9.1 per cent of men reported erectile problems in the previous year. The anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said that, if this was applied to the UK, it suggested almost 700,000 men aged 30 to 50 could be suffering from impotence, and many of these could find the root of their problem in their smoking habits.

Deborah Arnott, the director of ASH, said that, for decades, cigarettes had been marketed as a symbol of virility, encouraging men to smoke through macho advertising images, such as the Marlboro Man.

"Yet, the reality is that smoking is a primary cause of impotence, which may also be an early indicator of coronary heart disease," she said.

"The good news is that quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk of circulatory problems such as impotence. Young men who want to avoid the embarrassment and distress of impotence can help themselves by quitting smoking before such problems arise."

Scotland's ban on smoking in enclosed public places comes into effect on Sunday, and health experts hope it will encourage more people to kick the habit.

Source: Scotsman, The

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