The risks of electronic cigarettes 0:58
(CNN) -
A recent study found that healthy men between the ages of 20 and 65 who used daily nicotine through an e-cigarette were more than twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction as men who did not vape.
This association held even for men who had no other health problems or habits related to sexual dysfunction, including smoking, a known factor that contributes to sexual dysfunction.
"Our analysis looked at the smoking history of the participants, including those who had never smoked," said study author Dr. Omar El Shahawy, associate professor in the Section on Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs at the Grossman College of Medicine. , from New York University.
"It is possible that daily e-cigarette use is associated with an increased likelihood of erectile dysfunction, regardless of smoking history," he said.
The effect of nicotine on erectile dysfunction
The study, published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, analyzed data on e-cigarette use from a nationally representative study of American adults 18 years of age and older.
"We excluded people with high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, which are a major reason for erectile dysfunction, and excluded those with a history of smoking. We adjusted for all of that and still found a very strong and significant association between vaping and erectile dysfunction, "El Shahawy said.
advertising
"For men who had a history of heart problems, the risk of erectile dysfunction was more than three times higher," he said.
There are two main reasons for this effect, said Ahmad Besaratinia, Research Professor of Population Sciences and Public Health at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, who was not involved in the study.
Dr. Huerta: These devices deliver nicotine directly to the lungs 1:58
"One of them is the fact that nicotine and other chemicals in vapers can reduce the ability of the arteries to enlarge and dilate, and that's what causes erectile dysfunction. These chemicals can also lower the levels of erectile dysfunction. testosterone, another of the main causes of erectile dysfunction, "explains Besaratinia, who investigates the impact of vaping on genetics.
Due to the presence of nicotine and thousands of other chemicals, cigarette smoking can have the same effect on the body's systems that control blood flow to the male reproductive organs, as well as lead to cancer and many other serious conditions.
"Of the more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful, including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia," says the National Cancer Institute.
The risk of erectile dysfunction may increase as more tobacco cigarettes are smoked and thus nicotine levels rise, something that was also seen in the study for e-cigarettes, El Shahawy said.
"The risk increased for daily e-cigarette use, more than for vaping in general," he said.
"Higher exposure is what increases the risk of erectile dysfunction."
An additional factor, he said, is that "the new generations of electronic cigarettes supply a lot of nicotine, some of them have higher nicotine levels than cigarettes. So it is logical that if you vape a lot, you will have the sexual side effects of the nicotine".
There was good news: The study found that physical activity was associated with a lower chance of erectile dysfunction.
Since the research was cross-sectional, "which means we are looking at how things are related at a specific time," the study was only able to show an association between vaping and erectile dysfunction and not direct cause and effect, El Shahawy said. .
Vaping as an aid to quit smoking
Vaping can be a way to kick the cigarette habit.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is evaluating and approving several brands of e-cigarettes for this purpose, and requires companies to show data on how their products achieve that result.
FDA approves Vuse e-cigarettes, its first sales authorization for a vaping product
But if nicotine use replaces cigarettes as a daily activity, it increases your risk of erectile dysfunction and other health problems.
This is especially concerning given the epidemic of cigarette smoking by teens in the US: More than 2 million juniors in middle school and high school say they use e-cigarettes, according to a national survey released in September by the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The survey revealed that a quarter of young people, 500,000, say they vape daily.
More than three-quarters of teens prefer flavored e-cigarettes, especially fruit, caramel, mint and menthol, according to the survey.
But even e-cigarettes labeled nicotine-free can pose a risk, El Shahawy said: "Basic studies have looked at nicotine-free e-cigarettes, and they will find traces of nicotine in them."
Another problem is the delivery of nicotine, El Shahawy explained, as the amount of nicotine that actually gets into the body can vary depending on the delivery mechanism.
"It's not just about the amount of nicotine that is advertised in the liquid," he said.
"The device, the heating coil, the way the heat is generated ... all of that can change the levels of nicotine that the person who vapes actually receives."
According to El Shahawy, researchers don't know at this time if there are permanent changes in male performance due to vaping.
"Is erectile dysfunction something that will go away if someone stops smoking, or is it something that could have residual effects in the future? We need better studies to be able to assess the short-term and long-term impact," he said.
How to quit smoking: 5 actions you can take now to quit smoking and regain your health
Based on research, what advice does El Shahawy give to men considering vaping for pleasure or using e-cigarettes to quit tobacco smoking?
"If you don't smoke at all, don't start. There is no point in vaping because it is not safe by itself. But if you already smoke cigarettes and want to quit, then ration vaping use. Keep vaping to a minimum, just enough to overcome your cravings, and then quit. "
- Maggie Fox contributed to this report.
Electronic cigarettes
