Traditional smoking methods have long been associated with ED and cardiovascular disease, but a recent study found a similar association among e-cigarette users.

According to a study published a few days ago in the “American Journal of Preventive Medicine” and conducted by researchers from New York University and Johns Hopkins University, men between 20 and 65 years old who smoke e-cigarettes more than twice (2.4 times) are more likely to develop erectile dysfunction.

The researchers say that they found that the use of e-cigarettes is associated with erectile dysfunction, regardless of age factors, heart disease, and common ED risks, noting that one in 5 men is affected by ED, due to the use of e-cigarettes.

The dangers of electronic cigarettes

“Given that many people use e-cigarettes as a form of smoking harm reduction or to help them quit smoking, we needed to fully investigate the relationship between E-cigarette products, erectile dysfunction, and potential effects on men’s sexual health”.

“Our findings underscore the need for further studies to contextualize a pattern of e-cigarette use that is relatively safer than smoking,” he adds.

He continues, “Our analyzes take into account the cigarette smoking history of participants, including non-smokers of cigarettes, so daily e-cigarette use may cause higher odds of erectile dysfunction regardless of smoking history.”

The research team used data from the Population Tobacco and Health Assessment Study, a nationally representative study of 45,971 American adults over the age of 18 that examines various tobacco use behaviors and health outcomes.

While the new study was limited to examining a full sample of about 14,000 males and categorized the participants between former and current users, on every occasional or daily basis.

El-Shahawi says that the next stage of the research will focus on trying to better understand which types of e-cigarettes are more strongly associated with erectile dysfunction, and whether ED can be cured with cessation of use.

“Because this study focused only on men, future studies should also look at the relationship between e-cigarette use and ED among women,” he adds.