Erectile Dysfunction - Secondary
Supplements
Hopefully, you've already my Top Five Erectile Supplements with solid research
and few side effects. These top five can heal about two thirds to three
fourths of guys with erectile dysfunction according to the studies.
However, there are a number of other very helpful supplements that can improve
erectile strength directly and/or indirectly that I wanted to include as well:
Don't forget to read my links on the following, all of which can be just as
helpful as supplementation:
Erectile Repair Guide,
Kegels, the
Erectile Strength Diet
and Exercise. Always get to the root of your
problem or eventually heart and arterial disorders will stop your sex life
dead in its tracks.
Do you know the foods and drinks that increase erection-boosting
Nitric Oxide? Check out the
Peak Erectile Strength Diet where I show
you how to dramatically and naturally improve your erectile strength.
Here is a list of secondary erectile dysfunction supplements with some
reasonable evidence:
1) Carnitine. An Italian study demonstrated that taking 2 g/day of
propionyl-L-carnitine along with 2 g/day of its cousin acetyl-L-carnitine,
actually improved erectile function more than that of the a group taking
testosterone. [9] A later study showed that 2 g/day of
propionyl-L-carnitine actually significantly improved erections in men
who were unresponsive to Viagra alone. [10] And, as if you
wouldn't be happy enough with these results, Carnitine has also demonstrated
mood and energy improvements as well. Carnitine is abundant in animal sources:
a 3.5 oz serving of beef has a little over 90 mg, pork a little over 20 mg and
chicken and dairy a little over 3 mg. Note: A strict vegetarian diet
will have very low levels of ingested carnitine. CAUTION: : This
supplement should probably be regarded as a short term solution because 1)
acetyl-l-carnitine increases free radical damage (which is why it is generally
coupled with alpha lipoic acid) and 2) there is some evidence that it may
interfere with thyroid function.
2) Caffeine. Believe it or not, caffeine may actually improve
erectile dysfunction. This theory is still in the beginning stages, but a
recent study on diabetic rats showed that "caffeine consumption improved the
erectile function of diabetic rats by up-regulating cavernous cGMP". [20] Be
careful about tanking up on caffeine though: it is too early to tell if the
study results will translate to non-diabetic humans.
3) Citrulline.. Citrulline is an amino acid present in watermelon,
fish, eggs and a few other foods. It is a pre-cursor, or building block,
of L-Arginine and, as such, is an erectile dysfunction supplement that increases
blood flow and Nitric Oxide throughout the body. I have been able to find
no side effects at this point, although one would expect that it would have, at
a minimum, some of the profile of L-Arginine itself. No one really has
much of a doubt that Citrulline will increase Nitric Oxide levels - the debate
is really "how much?". Many individuals have plenty of Arginine in their
systems and, in that case, citrulline is unlikely to help much. If you
want a more natural route, a recent study showed that citrulline exists in
substantial quanitites in watermelon rinds. [27] That ought to get you some
attention at your next BBQ, when you chow down on a half dozen watermelon rinds
while everyone else is enjoying coleslaw and beer butt chicken. You may have the
last laugh, though, as a
Web MD article s states that "a typical 4-ounce serving of watermelon (about
10 watermelon balls) has about 150 milligrams of citrulline". In other words,
you don't even have to eat the rind to get a goodly amount.
4) Vitamin C. Several studies have shown that
Vitamin C keeps Nitric Oxide in your system
longer, something almost any good erectile dysfunction supplement should do, and
thus should be a mild help with erectile dysfunction. One study showed
that hypertensive patients actually had a measurable increase in dilation of the
veins in the forearm for patients given
Vitamin C. [24] This should translate to
dilation of the arteries bringing blood to the penis as well. CAUTION:
Vitamin C has done well in many studies and has many possible side effects
including cancer and hardening of the arteries. Read about
The Possible Dangers of Vitamin C before you
make your decision to take it. (And consult with your doctor of course.)
NOTE: Regular Vitamin C
is very acidic and hard on the stomach: you may want to consider the
Ester-C form for just that reason if you do decide to take it. One
interesting benefit of 1.5 g/day of
Vitamin C i is that it actually decreases
cortisol levels and cortisol lowers testosterone and is very hard on the brain.
When does low testosterone
cause erectile dysfunction or harden your arteries? 300 ng/dl? 400?
Find out what the studies say in Low
Testosterone By The Numbers.
5) CoQ10. A study from Germany showed that men with sub par
endothelial function were helped by taking CoQ10. That should translate to
improved erectile dysfunction. What they found was that blood flow was
increased to arm vessels simply by increasing this one nutrient. [7]
This was verified by one recent European study showed something similar:
taking 300 mg/day of CoQ10 helped endothelial function by relaxing veins - yes,
that means more blood flow throughout the body including the penis - and
increasing the body's key antioxidant SOD (which protects your incredibly
valuable Nitric Oxide). . [8] So, yes, even a run-of-the-mill, non-exotic
supplement like CoQ10 can improve erectile dysfunction and impotence.
6) Folic Acid. A recent meta-analysis, a study of studies, revealed
that folic acid supplementation
improved endothelial function and that should improve erectile
dysfunction as well. Better blood flow and arterial dilation are good for
your sex life and should improve erectile dysfunction while it's at it. After
all, you want all the veins in your body, especially the ones in the penis, to
be able to expand easily and allow the blood to move freely. Furthermore,
researchers found that the higher the dose, the better the result. [11]
Scientists speculate that folic acid's potency may stem from its ability to
lower homocyteine levels, which is one of the leading
predictors of heart disease. In fact, scientists found that elevated
homocysteine levels were as strongly correlated to heart disease as high
cholesterol and triglycerides. [12] Folate also protects the
Brain as well.
CAUTION #1: There is some new evidence that too much Folic Acid can lead
to colon cancer. [21] See
this link
for details. But, it should be added, many studies have found that Folic
Acid supplementation actually lowered cancer levels. [22] Again, though, the
safest way is always to get what you need through what you eat. CAUTION #2:
You may have read that Vitamins B6 and B12 can lower homocyteine levels as well.
Be careful about taking B6 and B12 supplements. These usually come in
megadoses that can cause memory damage and/or exacerbate acne. See
this link f for
details.
7) Magnesium. Make sure you
are getting enough Magnesium. Studies have shown that adequate magnesium
can decrease some of the effects of Metabolic Syndrome and lower inflammation
(c-Reactive Protein, a.k.a. cRP) levels which are devastating to your
endothelium. [13] To improve erectile dysfunction and impotence, you
definitely want to consider Metabolic Syndrome one of your arch-enemies.
If you're eating a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean Diet, that is so
often recommended on this site, then you have little to worry about. But
if you're eating like a typical Westerner, consider taking this inexpensive
supplement. Magnesium is so critical that I have devoted a
separate link to the subject.
8) Gingko. Gingko, like Pycnogenol, strengthens the activity of
Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS), making it a viable erectile dysfunction supplement.
[16] Furthermore, animal studies have shown that Gingko relaxes in a
dose-dependent fashion arteries, including those all-important ones supplying
blood to the penis.[17] Direct evidence that Gingko improves erectile
dysfunction and impotence in a significant way is still lacking, but any herb
that increases Nitric Oxide will help males struggling in this area. (This is an
herb can be purchased inexpensively even in places like Wal Mart.)
NOTE: Gingko Biloba is often tauted as improving erections in men
with erectile dysfunction that had resulted from taking antidepressants.
However, the studies have actually shown mixed results in this area.
CAUTION: Care should be exercised with this supplement as Gingko thins
the blood and
has several drug interactions including NSAIDs and anticoagulants.<.
9) Tongkat Ali/Eurycoma Longifolia Jack.&. A libido enhancer worth
mentioning because it has done well in studies on rats and because it is
frequently in ex. A libido enhancer worth mentioning because it has done
well in studies on rats and because it is frequently in ex. A libido
enhancer worth mentioning because it has done well in studies on rats and
because it is frequently in ex. A libido enhancer worth mentioning because
it has done well in studies on rats and because it is frequently in expensive
supplement preparations in health food and nutritional stores. No human
studies have been done to date from what I have read, except for one that shows
an increase in muscle mass [28]. And, unfortunately, the animal studies
were all conducted by one researcher.
10) Tribulis Terristris This is much-hyped in nutritional stores and
bodybuilding sites as a testosterone booster. The truth is that it has a
few animal studies behind it in this area but little else. Tribulis works on
testosterone by increasing Leutinizing Hormone, but this has a muted effect the
older a guy gets. However, Tribulis is an old friend and a lot of guys
swear by it. The reason is that Trib is very likely a jack-of-all trades.
We cover that here in a link on Super Sexual
Herbs. .
11) Yohimbe. . One of the ways this herb seems to work is by increasing
blood pressure. That’s the last thing anyone, especially those over 40, needs.
So, yes, this can improve erectile dysfunction and impotence in the short term.
However, it is probably dangerous to your long term health.
12) Chrysin. Estrogen can crowd out testosterone and so an estrogen
inhibitor can boost testosterone. 6-OXO was recently banned by the FDA,
leaving Chrysin, which is a questionable estrogen-inhibitors at best. For
a more detailled look, read this link on Estrogen. .
13) Saw Palmetto/Pygeum/Stinging Nettle. All three of these herbs
have a solid and generally safe track records and all three are known for their
ability to block the enzyme that conversts regulard testosterone into DHT, one
of the male androgens infamous for causing hair loss and enlargening the
prostate. This is exactly how the hair restoration drug Propecia (formerly
called Proscar) works, i.e. by blocking this same enzyme. But here is what your
doctor and pharmacist will not tell you: Propecia can result in
estrogen-like symptoms including enlarged male "breasts", loss of sex drive,
decreased semen volume, erectile difficulties and so on. Saw Palmetto,
which is the "natural" equivalent of Proscar produces these same symptoms in a
certain percentage of men. Pygeum and Stinging Nettle also block this same
enzyme and thus, to one degree or another, probably produce these estrogen
effects. Bottom line: these herbs are simply not worth the risk.
Start wearing a hat if you're that sensitive about your scalp.
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18) J Clin Endocrinol Metab,1991,73:4-7
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21) JAMA,2007,297:2351-2359932-40
24) Circulation, 1998 Jun 9, 97(22):2222-9
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24) Circulation, 1998 Jun 9, 97(22):2222-9
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28) Brit J Sports Med, Oct 2003, 37: 464–70. "The Ergogenic Effects of Eurycoma
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