This 1 Activity Might Work Just As Well As Viagra

If you’re looking for a little motivation to get those daily steps in, then this might just be the ticket.

According to new research conducted by Baylor College of Medicine into male impotence, regular exercise could help to alleviate those suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED).

The study analysed the results of 11 randomised studies that included over 1,000 men to test how effective exercise and drugs were at treating ED. Turns out, 30 minutes of cardio-based exercise three times a week could be just as effective as taking Viagra.

The little blue pill found its way into being in the late 80s, hitting the market as the be-all and end-all solution for male impotence. Time Magazine reported that, since its release, it has made over $17 billion according to reports from Bloomberg in 2017.

Researchers wanted to find a low-risk, accessible solution to ED. So, during the study, 636 men underwent an aerobic exercise plan, which implemented 30-60 minute workouts three times a week for six months. The exercises included swimming, cycling and even brisk walking — essentially, anything that would raise the heart rate.

These men were given counselling and resources to support their exercise habits, while half of them were supervised as a controlled group, the other half were left to their own devices. Researchers didn’t let on who had been given erectile dysfunction medication, or how long they had been given it.

Each participant was quizzed at the beginning of the experiment and then end, and given a score out of 25, with lower scores highlighting the worst cases and higher scores representing more mild cases.

The results that transpired showed that those who had engaged in exercise saw their points increase, meaning their symptoms improved. However, depending on how mild or severe their dysfunction was, the results varied.

Those with mild dysfunction saw their points increase by 2.3, but those with more moderate, 3.3, and severe, 4.9, symptoms saw bigger improvements. The group using medications such as Viagra and Cialis saw the most improvement, with increases between four to eight points.

So, while exercise can help — it’s not the silver bullet.

The research concluded that “Regular aerobic exercise can improve the erectile function of men, particularly those with lower baseline IIEF scores, and it can be considered a low-risk and effective nonpharmacologic therapy for men at risk of or currently experiencing ED.”

However, they called for further research to “explore optimal exercise regimens to support the development of prescriptive guidelines for improving erectile function.”

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