Take heart

Meds, that is — they don’t cause ED

In the 2010 movie “Little Fockers,” Jessica Alba plays a pharmaceutical sales rep who’s selling Sustengo, an erectile dysfunction drug. After Robert De Niro’s character Jack Byrnes has a heart attack, he tries the magic pill, worried, perhaps, that the heart meds he received at the hospital were making it difficult for him to sustain an erection.

Funny movie, but BS (bad science). A study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology reveals when guys (mean age 61) with heart disease experience sexual dysfunction, they shouldn’t blame it on statins or specific antihypertensive meds they’re taking (the study looked at an angiotensin II receptor blocker and diuretic). The incidence of ED is virtually the same whether or not guys take a statin, those high blood pressure meds or a placebo.

In fact, for some, statins can improve sexual function. And Harvard researchers say blood pressure drugs — alpha-blockers, ACE inhibitors as well as angiotensin-receptor blockers — rarely cause ED. According to a 2003 study, when participants were told HBP meds had sexual side effects, 33 per cent developed them. When participants were not told, only three per cent did.

So, guys, abandoning life-saving heart medications won’t revive your love life. All you’ll end up with is a greater risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and more-severe ED. Instead, talk with your doctor about medical treatments and increasing your physical activity; manage stress; cuddle your honey; and eliminate sat and trans fats, added sugars and syrups and highly processed foods from your diet.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune in to “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.