Lots of Sex May Prevent Erectile Dysfunction (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) -- Frequent sexual intercoursemay cut down on a man's chances of developing erectile dysfunction,Finnish researchers report.

"This is the same as any other part of the body. It's what we invascular surgery refer to as the 'use it or lose it' concept," said Dr.Hossein Sadeghi-Nejad, an associate professor of urology at UMDNJ NewJersey Medical School Hackensack University Medical Center. "Sexualactivity will promote maintenance of normal erectile function down theline."

The report was published in the July issue of The American Journalof Medicine.

In the study, led by Dr. Juha Koskimki, from Tampere UniversityHospital's Department of Urology, researchers collected data on 989Finnish men aged 55 to 75 years old.

The researchers found that men who said they had sexual intercourseless than once a week had twice the risk of developing erectiledysfunction, compared with men reporting having sexual intercourse once aweek.

Among men who had sexual intercourse less than once a week, there were79 cases of erectile dysfunction per 1,000 men. That number dropped to 32cases per 1,000 among men who said they had sexual intercourse once aweek, and it dropped even further, to 16 per 1,000, among men who saidthey had sexual intercourse three or more times a week, the researchersreported.

The frequency of morning erections was not associated with theincidence of moderate erectile dysfunction, the researchers noted.

However, the development of complete erectile dysfunction could bepredicted from the frequency of morning erections. Among men with lessthan one morning erection a week, the risk of developing erectiledysfunction was 2.5-fold greater than among men who had two to threemorning erections per week.

"Regular intercourse has an important role in preserving erectilefunction among elderly men, whereas morning erection does not exert asimilar effect," Koskimki said in a statement. "Continued sexual activitydecreases the incidence of erectile dysfunction in direct proportion tocoital frequency."

Sadeghi-Nejad said there is a scientific basis for this finding, and italso has implications for rehabilitation of patients after prostate cancertreatment.

"What is very hot these days is what we can do to rehabilitate peoplewho develop erection problems after prostate cancer surgery or radiationtherapy," Sadeghi-Nejad said. "Anything you can do to increase oxygenationin the penis will help get patients back to normal."

If one can naturally engage in behaviors that increase blood flow tothe penis, it will have a positive effect in preventing erectiledysfunction, Sadeghi-Nejad said.

Sadeghi-Nejad noted that the study only addressed intercourse, and notmasturbation. "This is essentially the same concept," Sadeghi-Nejad said."Anything you can do to bring blood to the penis is beneficial," headded.

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