Men who use e-cigarettes are twice as likely to suffer erectile dysfunction, study finds

Impotence levels for vapers was 2.4 times higher than non-smokers

Vaping has been linked to erectile dysfunction in new study (iStock)

E-cigarette users or those who vape are more than twice as likely to be impacted by impotence, a new study has found.

The study, of nearly 14,000 American men aged between 20 and 65, found that those who used e-cigarettes were 2.4 times more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than non-smokers.

Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the study was conducted by researchers from New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine and John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The study authors theorised that a high level of nicotine in vaping liquid could reduce blood flow to the penis and thus cause erectile dysfunction, but the study was unable to prove this link.

According to ED Clinics, erectile dysfunction can affect up to 55 per cent of men in the UK aged between 40 and 70. The NHS says erectile dysfunction is “very common, particularly in men over 40”.

The research looked at the survey results of 13,711 males aged 20 and over who responded to a question regarding erectile dysfunction. This sample size was looked at in full and it was also scaled down to the 11,207 participants who had no prior history of cardiovascular disease.

Almost half of participants in the survey said they were former cigarette smokers, 21 per cent were current smokers and 14 per cent used other tobacco products.

Compared to those who had never used an e-cigarette, daily e-cigarette users were 2.4 times more likely to report having erectile dysfunction.

Of the 11,207 in the restricted sample size, 10.2 per cent reported having erectile dysfunction.

“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,” lead author of the study, Dr Omar El Shahawyl, said in a statement.

He added that more research was needed to explore the consequence of e-cigarettes on men’s sexual health.