More erections prevent impotence in older people, says study

men's health

by Adriana Diaz

Well, it's not that difficult to follow this advice.

Regular erections may be the key to a good sex life in old age, a new study has found.

The uplifting study, published this week in the journal Science, found that connective tissue cells called fibroblasts in the penis play a key role in erectile function.

“Fibroblasts are the most abundant cells in the penis of mice and humans, but they have been ignored in research,” lead author Eduardo Guimarães said in a statement.

“Now, using a very precise method called optogenetics, we are able to prove that they play a very important role in regulating blood flow to the penis, which is what makes it erect. ,” he added.

Researchers at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University periodically induced erections in mice by stimulating areas of their brains responsible for arousal, and then analyzed the fibroblast cells.

The study found that fibroblasts dilate blood vessels in the penis, increasing the duration of erections.

The effectiveness of this process depends on the number of fibroblasts. In other words, the more erections a man has, the more fibroblasts he has available to maintain erections in the future.

They also found that more erections led to more fibroblasts and vice versa.

As men age, their ability to get an erection declines, and researchers suggest this may be due to a decrease in fibroblasts in the penis.

Therefore, the more forceful an erection you have early in life, the easier it will be to maintain it as you get older.

“It's actually not that strange. If you put in a lot of effort, your body will adapt. If you run regularly, you'll eventually breathe easier while running,” said the author, who led the study. Christian Goeritz explained.

The basic mechanism of erection is similar in all mammals, except that the male penis has no bones. This means that effective blood flow regulation is probably even more important in humans.

Experts believe this new information about fibroblasts could spur new treatments for erectile dysfunction, and at least one could be a lot of fun.

Erectile dysfunction, which affects nearly 70% of men over the age of 70, is often treated with oral medications such as Viagra and Cialis, and in more severe cases with penile implants or vacuum erection devices.

Tech mogul Brian Johnson is literally shocking his members as part of his journey to stay forever young and straight.

However, many experts oppose such intensive treatment regimens and recommend that men stick to more traditional methods.