Impotence Provides a Warning for Future Heart Problems

A new study further supports erectile dysfunction is a warning sign for heart disease. Researchers from the New England Research Institute analyzed data from 928 men in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study over a fifteen year span from 1987 to 2004. Participants were evaluated for the presence of metabolic syndrome (which is characterized by central obesity, poor regulation of insulin, abnormal lipid levels, and borderline hypertension, and is a precursor for heart disease) and for erectile dysfunction. Among normal weight men risk of metabolic syndrome was double for those with moderate or complete erectile dysfunction compared to those without.

Prior studies have shown that impotence is often an early sign of blocked arteries and not just a complication of cardiovascular disease.