Organic Diet and Intermittent Fasting are Associated with Improved Erectile Function

Objective(s): To explore associations between dietary habits and erectile dysfunction (ED) in a cohort of patients presenting to a high-volume men's health clinic.

Materials and methods: All patients presenting to a high-volume men's health clinic between July 2018 and May 2019 were evaluated for their dietary habits and screened with the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) and Androgen Deficiency in Aging Males (ADAM). The primary outcome measure was the impact of dietary habits on ED, defined as IIEF-5<22. Stepwise logistic regressions were used to control for patient characteristics and relevant comorbidities.

Results: 271 patients were included. Primary reasons for visit were ED (110, 40.6%), hypogonadism (39, 14.4%), benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms [BPH/LUTS] (80, 29.5%), and Peyronie's Disease (30, 11.1%). 176 (64.9%) followed no diet, while 11 (4.1%), 11 (4.1%), 8 (2.9%), and 11 (4.1%) were whole food only, low-carb/keto, vegetarian/pescatarian, and low-fat, respectively. Additionally, 105 (38.7%) reported organic foods consumption, while 51 (18.8%) had no processed food consumption, and 77 (28.4%) performed intermittent fasting. Patients reporting ED were more likely to be over the age of 65, had higher BMI, more comorbidities, and less likely to report an organic diet or intermittent fasting. There were no correlations between diet and ADAM score. In adjusted analysis, patients reporting organic diet or intermittent fasting were significantly less likely to have ED.

Conclusion: This is the first study suggesting organic diet and intermittent fasting to be protective against ED. These results are hypothesis-generating and warrant further exploration.

Keywords: diet; erectile function; intermittent fasting; men's health; organic diet; sexual function.