BOSTON, June 28 (UPI) -- Obesity and smoking are strongly associated with a greater risk of erectile dysfunction, according to the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
However, regular physical activity appeared to have a significant impact on lowering the risk of erectile dysfunction, says Eric Rimm, an associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition.
Rimm surveyed 22,086 healthy subjects between the ages of 40 and 75 from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study who reported good or very good erectile function and no major chronic disease before 1986.
Among the participants, 17.7 percent reported new onset of erectile dysfunction between 1986 and 2000. The researchers adjusted the results to take into account those with and without prostate cancer during the follow-up period, since prostate cancer treatments, such as radiation or surgery, may lead to erectile dysfunction.
The study appears in the July issue of The Journal of Urology.
