Male smokers who get through 20 cigarettes daily are nearly forty percent more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction that those people who do not smoke according to an Australian research project. The extensive research program looked at over 8,000 men from the age of 16 up to 59 and reported that as many as ten percent had erectile dysfunction for at least 30 days over the previous year. The research program was the largest and most extensive one to look into the link between erectile dysfunction and smoking.

Other findings showed that the men who smoked less than twenty a day were 24% more likely to have erectile dysfunction compared to non smokers, and the men that smoked more than 20 a day were exactly 39% more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction compared to non smokers.

The anti smoking lobby said that this study should really help people to understand the harm that smoking can do and should provide a big incentive for them to quit. They reasoned that the stress and humiliation of erectile dysfunction surely outweight the pleasures of smoking.

The magazine Tobacco Control which printed the research said that the 8,000 Australian men were asked detailed questions on their smoking patterns and any sexual dysfunction the might have. Of the eight thousand more than 25% smoked and close to 6% smoked more than a packet daily.

The report showed a clear correlation between the quantity of smoking and the chances of erectile dysfunction. A group from Imperial College in London agreed that erection problems were consistent with heavy smoking and advised those who smoked to be aware of this.

Smoking and the resultant nicotine in the blood has an impact on the circulation constricting and clogging the blood vessels. The blood vessels in the penis need to work well to enable good erections and sexual function.

The researchers also noted that someone who smokes and then suffers from erectile dysfunction will be less likely to respond to impotence treatment such as Viagra. The Sexual Dysfunction Association said that smoking can cause abnormalities in the penis blood cells which means impotence treatment is further impeded.

The findings will send a chill through all smokers as they show that even those who smoke less than a packet daily are at much greater risk of erectile dysfunction. Action on Smoking and Health said that the research suggested that nearly 3/4 of a million males between the ages 30 and 50 may be impotent, with a lot of them suffering as a result of smoking.

The irony is that many smoking images through advertising and films portray the ideal of smoking as being macho and manly, but this research show the complete opposite and may be the big incentive for men to finally kick the habit.