Background

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with impaired blood flow in the arteries[1] and increased erectile dysfunction (ED) prevalence.[2]

The study

This cross-sectional study assessed serum vitamin D in men with ED and correlations between vitamin D and ED risk factors. The researchers evaluated the severity of ED among 84 men with self-reported sexual or reproductive problems using the Sexual Health Inventory for Men Questionnaire. They evaluated serum vitamin D, blood lipids, glycemic markers, uric acid, and testosterone. The researchers also evaluated height, weight, smoking status, alcohol use, and sedentary lifestyle. Vitamin D levels of less than 10 ng/mL were considered a deficiency, 10-30 ng/mL indicated insufficiency, and 30-100 ng/mL was considered to be optimal.

The results

Serum vitamin D was significantly lower in participants with ED (20.5 ng/mL) than in participants without ED (29.8 ng/mL), and vitamin D was negatively correlated with ED severity. In participants with ED, serum vitamin D was positively associated with serum testosterone and negatively associated with BMI, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood glucose.

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This Study Summary was published on May 4, 2021.

References

  1. ^Ozlem Tarcin, Dilek Gogas Yavuz, Beste Ozben, Ahu Telli, Ayliz Velioglu Ogunc, Meral Yuksel, Ahmet Toprak, Dilek Yazici, Seda Sancak, Oguzhan Deyneli, Sema AkalinEffect of vitamin D deficiency and replacement on endothelial function in asymptomatic subjectsJ Clin Endocrinol Metab.(2009 Oct)
  2. ^Youssef M K Farag, Eliseo Guallar, Di Zhao, Rita R Kalyani, Michael J Blaha, David I Feldman, Seth S Martin, Pamela L Lutsey, Kevin L Billups, Erin D MichosVitamin D deficiency is independently associated with greater prevalence of erectile dysfunction: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2004Atherosclerosis.(2016 Sep)