ED and diet: There is a connection

The sitcom “Mister Ed” ran from 1958 to 1966 and told the tale of a talking horse who fully participated in the life of his human keepers and friends. Mister Ed: I’m attending college because I want a PH.D. Wilbur (his owner): PH.D.? Mister Ed: Palomino Horse Doctor.

Clearly Ed didn’t see many obstacles before him. And if you guys don’t want ED (that’s erectile dysfunction) to be an obstacle in your life, well, a new study says you should go for a PH.D. too -- that’s a Pretty Healthy Diet!

Researchers recently mined 16 years of data on more than 21,000 healthy men ages 40 to 75. They found that guys who ate a diet that emphasized vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes and fish or other sources of omega-3 fats, and avoided red and processed meat lowered their risk of developing ED by about 20%.

The study, published in JAMA Open Network, urges men of any age who are concerned about their risk for ED to adopt that healthy eating style. And if you’re already contending with sexual dysfunction, those nutritional choices can help you too. A previous study found that they noticeably improve function in men with ED and metabolic syndrome (a collection of issues such as high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol and glucose regulation problems). So as Mister Ed’s theme song declares, “Go right to the source and ask the horse. He’ll give you the answer that you’ll endorse.” In this case, it’s a plant-based diet with healthy proteins.