The link between erections and heart disease

The article that ought to put the nail in the coffin of recreational Viagra-use was published this month.

Research published in the February 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings makes very clear the link between erectile dysfunction (ED) and heart disease.

Men with ED are 80% more likely to develop heart disease than men who don't have any erections problems and the risk is even higher if your erection problems start young. Men aged 40-49 who experience have double the risk of heart disease compared to men without ED problems. The research is based not on theory but on actually following real men since the mid 1990s.

The message could not be clearer: if you have erection problems, tell your doc. It could be an early warning sign of heart disease.

'Our data is very consistent with previous studies, said researcher Jennifer St. Sauver, right. 'The highest risk for coronary heart disease was in younger men.'

Martin Miner of the Men's Health Center at Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island believes: 'The importance of the study cannot be overstated'. The results 'raise the possibility of a "window of curability”, in which progression of cardiac disease might be slowed or halted by medical intervention.'

The 4.7MB version has nothing to do with the condiment made from vegetable oil and egg yolks. It is a not-for-profit medical practice employing some 50,000 people and treating some half a million patients across the USA.