Statins ‘can also help men in the bedroom’

TAKING statins could give men an unexpected boost in the bedroom, a study has suggested.

About eight million Britons take the drug daily to reduce their risk of heart disease. But researchers have found that the benefits of statins – which improve blood flow – have an impact on parts of the body beyond the heart.

The findings, announced at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Rome, found that erectile function scores improved by 4.9 points in men who took statins, representing a 43 per cent improvement.

Alexios Samantzas, the lead researcher, from Elpis Hospital in Athens, said the results were “very significant”.

More than 50 per cent of men aged over 40 experience some level of erectile dysfunction. However, statins were unlikely to help men who had healthy cholesterol levels.

Mr Samantzas said: “Participants experienced a 43 per cent improvement in their erections, the effect is around half that of sildenafil [ Viagra]. This is very significant.

“But the important thing is that by improving cholesterol levels, patients were also benefiting from better erections. It is a win-win. And patients are not having to take specific drugs for erectile dysfunction.

“Statins work by improving blood vessels and blood flow. We hoped to see some small improvement, but it was much larger than expected.”

He added: “The findings offer an extra motivation for patients considering whether to take statins. They can help boost their performance.”

But he said the pills were unlikely to help men who had healthy levels of cholesterol.

The Greek study tracked 100 men between the ages of 40 and 70. All participants had high cholesterol and a history of impotence.

Half were given statins for three months, while the rest were left untreated.

Those taking the pills saw a significant improvement in the quality of their erectile function.

Prof Jeremy Pearson, the associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said that the findings were reassuring.

“This small study adds to the body of evidence that taking statins could actually be useful in reducing erectile dysfunction,” he said.

“This should be reassuring for male patients taking statins, who need not worry that taking their statins might cause erectile dysfunction.”