Dozens of news reports are freaking out over a study that links erectile dysfunction to excessive vaping in men.
NEW YORK — Researchers published a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine claiming that the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is associated with erectile dysfunction (ED) independent of age, heart disease, and other factors in men. The study indicated that men who vaped on a daily basis were more than twice as likely to have reported the suffering of erectile dysfunction to doctors or other professionals.
“The study findings indicate that ENDS use may be associated with ED, independent of age, risk factor profile, and the presence of [cardiovascular disease],” argues the authors of the study, which was officially published on November 30, 2021. “While ENDS use is still being evaluated for its harm reduction and smoking-cessation potential, ENDS users need to be informed about the possible harms associated with ENDS use and particularly ENDS current daily use, including ED.”
“This study highlights a novel finding that ENDS use could have serious implications on men’s sexual health,” the study concludes. “Further longitudinal evaluation on the long-term health impacts of ENDS should be performed to clarify whether ENDS use is an independent risk factor for the development of ED.”
“Given that many people use e-cigarettes as a form of smoking harm reduction or to help them quit smoking, we need to fully investigate the relationship between vaping products and erectile dysfunction, and thus better understand the potential implications for men’s sexual health. Our findings underscore the need to study patterns of e-cigarette use that are relatively safer than smoking,” Dr. Omar El Shahawy said in a statement for the university’s medical school. “Our analyses accounted for the cigarette smoking history of participants, including those who were never cigarette smokers to begin with, so it is possible that daily e-cigarette vaping may be associated with higher odds of erectile dysfunction regardless of one’s smoking history.”
