Exercise can help men from all racial and ethnic backgrounds overcome ED.

This post is about a recent Study of Exercise and erectile dysfunction (ED) conducted by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. As expected, it found that daily exercise improves sexual function in men. What’s significant is that this study deliberately included a more racially diverse set of participants. Previously, black men have been underrepresented in studies of ED and exercise. The study confirms what had always been suspected (that exercise improved ED in all men) while ensuring that men in the actual studies represented different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Recent ED Study Shows Exercise, Not Viagra, Helps ED

It might be hard to believe in this day and age, but Cedars-Sinai Medical Center just released the first-ever study on exercise and ED in African American Men. Longevity called it “ground-breaking” and affirmed that all men benefit from exercise, not just one ethnic category of men. They quoted a spokesperson for a pharmaceutical company in Africa specializing in men’s health that pointed out that ED, affects more than 2.7 million men in South Africa. That country is primarily made up of African Americans, of course, so the Cedars-Sinai research is particularly important there.

The Cedars-Sinai study looked at men with an average age of 62 years old, a prime time for males to experience ED. They determined that moderate hours of six hours or more result in the least risk of experiencing ED in men of all races.

The Journal of Sexual Medicine published the findings, which studied close to 300 men at risk for prostate cancer. Study participants were tracked from all racial backgrounds. Researchers determined that men who exercised at least two hours per week were more likely to achieve an erection and overcome ED, regardless of race. A Cedars-Sinai Medical Center press release suggested that, while there have been prior studies on the issue, African American men have been underrepresented in both the studies and the literature.

According to the study, more exercise was linked with better sexual health function regardless of race.

Men and Their Sexual Health

Sexual dysfunction in the form of ED is a common problem in 60% of men over the age of 65.

While Viagra has been consistently proven effective to combat ED, the study showed that men of any race could affect their sexual health by simply exercising even moderately each week. Additional contributors to ED included chronic diseases like diabetes, advanced age, smoking, or coronary artery disease. Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle have been correlated to an increase in ED in men. While pharmacologic options like Viagra are always available, it’s good to know that non-medicinal options are clearly helpful in solving this terrible issue.

While the Cedars-Sinai study was not the first to correlate exercise in men with a reduced risk of diseases and disorders like ED, it is the first randomized trial to specifically target outcomes in African American men at the same level of Caucasians. Researchers concluded that, while more studies need to be done, there are clear signs that exercise may be potentially as effective in eliminating ED as Viagra in some instances.