Erectile dysfunction: vitamin D can help fight it

Impotence: vitamin D can help fight it

There is a relationship between low vitamin D levels and the risk of erectile dysfunction, particularly that due to arterial changes. A concentration of the vitamin below 20 ng/mL could promote a loss of function of the endothelium, the tissue that lines the inside of blood vessels, predisposing to the disorder.

This is reported in an article published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. The study was carried out by researchers from the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Milan.

Vitamin D deficiency and endothelial function

Vitamin D is produced by the skin from the precursor 7-dehydrocholesterol by sunlight or taken in through food. In addition to its well-known role in bone metabolism, vitamin D has recently received attention for its involvement in other mechanisms, such as its ability to modulate endothelial function. The 'endothelium is the tissue that lines the inside of blood vessels and is essential to ensure their integrity and maintenance of tone. Erectile dysfunction, a true global health problem, can be caused by a variety of conditions but is due in most cases precisely to endothelial and therefore vascular malfunction.

Erectile dysfunction is more frequent in individuals with vitamin D deficiency

The study involved 50 middle-aged men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction of arterial origin, 65 with erectile dysfunction originating from other causes, and 28 with dysfunction classified as borderline. Each subject underwent blood sampling to assess levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a precursor to the vitamin.

Deficiency of this molecule, defined by the study authors as less than 20 nanograms per milliliter, was discovered in 45.9% of patients. Severe deficiency, characterized by a level below 10 ng/ml, was observed in 5.6% of subjects. Of the men with vitamin insufficiency, 38.6 percent suffered from erectile dysfunction, and only 25.3 percent of those in the group with normal concentrations manifested the problem. In patients with arterial-type erectile dysfunction, vitamin D levels were significantly lower, on average, than those found in the borderline and non-arterial-type dysfunction groups. 

Among subjects with arteriogenic erectile dysfunction, 61% were vitamin D deficient compared with 30% in the borderline group and 42% of men with dysfunction of other origin. In addition, among men with vitamin D concentrations below 20 mg/mL, the prevalence of arteriogenic dysfunction was 45.6%, compared with 22.3% in those with higher levels.

Monitoring the level of the vitamin is critical

The study results show that a significant percentage of patients with erectile dysfunction have vitamin D deficiency and that this condition is more common in patients in whom problem has arterial origin. According to the researchers, low vitamin D levels may increase the risk of the disorder by causing dysfunction of the 'endothelium. Alteration of the vascular endothelium is also related to arterial occlusion and can affect the coronary arteries predisposing to heart attacks or strokes. Erectile disorder is a problem that can appear even years before cardiovascular disease is diagnosed, probably because of the smaller size of the arteries involved. Men affected by erectile dysfunction should monitor vitamin D levels and possibly follow a 'supplementation.   

Source: Barassi A1, Pezzilli R, Colpi GM, Corsi Romanelli MM, Melzi d'Eril GV. "Vitamin D and Erectile Dysfunction" J Sex Med.2014 Aug 5. doi: 10.1111/jsm.12661.