When you finally manage to pry yourself out of bed in the morning, you need something to put a little pep in your step and make the day that much more manageable. The answer, of course, is coffee. Thousands of American men start every morning with a hot cup of Joe, and likely pay a visit or two more to the coffee pot as the day goes. But whether you’re taking it black or gussying it up with cream and sugar, surely all that coffee can’t be healthy, right? Could a serious coffee habit lead to health complications such as erectile dysfunction?
Actually, a steady diet of coffee may be the saving grace your erection needs. According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, coffee can actually lessen a man’s chances of developing erectile dysfunction.
According to the study, research found that drink two or three cups of coffee a day are 39 percent less likely to develop ED. But it’s not the coffee itself that is staving off erectile problems; rather, it’s the caffeine. This is due to the fact that caffeine actually proves to be quite calming to the penile muscles, causing the muscle group that surrounds the penis to relax and open up, facilitating improved blood flow, thus making erections easier to achieve.
But that doesn’t mean men should start stocking up on cream and sugar for their coffee just yet. The researchers stressed that the study only relates to the caffeine naturally found in coffee; by regularly drinking sweetened coffee, you may be increasing your chances of diabetes or liver issues, thus negating the positive effects of the caffeine.
So, when you roll out of bed in the morning, reach for a cup (or three) of black coffee, and you’ll be keeping ED at bay while getting perked up for work.