The genetic link from diabetes to erectile dysfunction

New research finds evidence that erectile dysfunction and type 2 diabetes are genetically linked—with people genetically susceptible to type 2 diabetes having increased chances of erectile dysfunction (ED). ED affects millions of adults—and there are several risk factors, including older age, being overweight, and being a smoker. Having certain other conditions, such as diabetes, some […]

New research finds evidence that erectile dysfunction and type 2 diabetes are genetically linked—with people genetically susceptible to type 2 diabetes having increased chances of erectile dysfunction (ED).

ED affects millions of adults—and there are several risk factors, including older age, being overweight, and being a smoker.

Having certain other conditions, such as diabetes, some types of cardiovascular disease, and chronic liver disease, can also predispose someone to ED.

So far, the evidence supporting the link between type 2 diabetes and ED has only been observational, meaning that researchers could not establish causality.

Researchers in the United Kingdom, in a genome-wide association study, examined data from over 220,000 men from three different population cohorts.

Of the total number of men, 6,000 experienced ED. The researchers used complex genetic analysis to investigate the relationships between diabetes, body weight, and ED.

“We found that a genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes is linked to erectile dysfunction,” reported Anna Murray, an associate professor at the University of Exeter Medical School, who led the study alongside Professor Michael Holmes, of the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford.

“That may mean that if people can reduce their risk of diabetes through healthier lifestyles, they may also avoid developing erectile dysfunction.”

Co-first author and doctoral student Jonas Bovijn also comments on the study, saying, “Our finding is important, as diabetes is preventable, and indeed one can now achieve ‘remission’ from diabetes with weight loss, as illustrated in recent clinical trials. This goes beyond finding a genetic link to erectile dysfunction to a message that is of widespread relevance to the general public.”