The Mediterranean diet, long associated with numerous cardiovascular benefits, may also improve the vascular health and sexual performance of patients with hypertension and erectile dysfunction (ED), according to new findings to be presented at ESC Congress 2021.
The analysis included 250 men presenting with both high blood pressure and ED. The average patient age was 56 years old.
ED, the researchers noted, is largely viewed as a disorder related to a man’s small arteries. Low testosterone levels have been associated with ED.
Researchers surveyed each participant about their eating habits and evaluated their vascular health with echocardiography. Arterial stiffness was assessed using an augmentation index and central pulse pressure, with higher values representing stiffer arteries. Stiff arteries, the team noted, are associated with a higher risk of adverse cardiac events among men with ED.
In addition, the severity of each participant’s ED was assessed using the Sexual Health Inventory for Men questionnaire. Higher scores correlate with a better overall erectile performance, researchers explained.
Overall, men who come closer to following a Mediterranean diet—meaning they embrace fruit, vegetables and whole grains while limiting red meat—had a higher coronary flow reserve, higher testosterone levels, better erectile performance and lower arterial stiffness.
Patients with a greater exercise capacity were also found to have higher coronary flow reserve, higher testosterone levels, better erectile performance and lower arterial stiffness. They also tended to follow a diet that resembled the Mediterranean diet.
“While we did not examine mechanisms, it seems plausible that this dietary pattern may improve fitness and erectile performance by enhancing function of the blood vessels and limiting the fall in testosterone that occurs in midlife,” lead author Athanasios Angelis, MD, of the University of Athens in Greece, said in a statement. “The findings suggest that the Mediterranean diet could play a role in maintaining several parameters of vascular health and quality of life and in middle aged men with hypertension and erectile dysfunction.”
More information related to ESC Congress 2021, a virtual conference hosted by the European Society of Cardiology, is available here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.