| In movies and on TV, smokers are portrayed as | | | | non-smokers. He's study involved over 4,000 |
| tough, rugged, independent men who always get | | | | Chinese men and took into consideration the |
| what they want and are irresistible to women. | | | | subjects' smoking habits and the amount of |
| But the truth is far removed from this rosy | | | | sex they had. |
| picture. Experts say smoking can make you | | | | |
| impotent and over 120,000 British men are | | | | "After statistically accounting for other |
| suffering because of this! | | | | erectile function influences, researchers |
| | | | found that current smokers had a 31 percent |
| This was revealed by Dr Godfrey Fowler from | | | | higher risk for (impotence) compared to men |
| Oxford University's Primary Health Department | | | | who had never smoked. A similar difference |
| who said that thousands of men in their 30s | | | | was seen in former smokers who had a 35 |
| and 40s in the UK have smoking-related | | | | percent higher risk," said |
| impotence. Because of this, British Medical | | | | |
| Association (BMA) officers said cigarette | | | | If you have high blood pressure, it gets |
| packets should warn smokers of this risk. | | | | worse. Hypertensive smokers are 26 times more |
| | | | likely to be impotent than non-smokers, |
| "The tobacco companies have spent a fortune | | | | according to Dr John Spangler who led |
| trying to persuade people that smoking is | | | | American researchers at Wake Forest |
| sexy, macho and cool, but an impotence | | | | University Baptist Medical Centre. He added |
| warning would bring home the sad and | | | | that the risk of impotence in former smokers |
| embarrassing reality," said Clive Bates, | | | | with high blood pressure is 11 times higher. |
| director of Action on Smoking and Health | | | | |
| (ASH). | | | | "Smoking affects erection in a number of |
| | | | ways. Long-term damage is caused by a build |
| "What we want is for girls to look at young | | | | up of fatty deposits blocking arteries and |
| men and think: 'He smokes - he's going to be | | | | restricting blood flow. But every time a |
| impotent - I'm not interested.' This would be | | | | cigarette is lit, nicotine circulates in the |
| especially effective for the under 40s," | | | | blood, constricting blood vessels and |
| added Ann Craig, managing director of the | | | | restricting the rush of blood essential to |
| Impotence Association. | | | | triggering an erection," explained Jenny Hope |
| | | | in the Daily Mail. |
| This is not the first time smoking has been | | | | |
| implicated in impotence. Dr. Jiang He, | | | | Ironically, the BMA said very few are aware |
| steward associate professor of epidemiology | | | | of the smoking - impotence link. In fact, a |
| and medicine at Tulane University School of | | | | poll conducted for ASH revealed that 88 |
| Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New | | | | percent of smokers have no idea whatsoever of |
| Orleans, said men who smoked more than 20 | | | | the link. Adding to the deception is that |
| cigarettes a day had a 60 percent higher risk | | | | smokers are often portrayed as glamorous and |
| of impotence compared to non-smokers. | | | | sophisticated individuals and smoking is |
| | | | usually associated with sex, virility, and |
| The risk was lower in men who had fewer | | | | success. Doctors say it's time to wake up and |
| cigarettes but still high compared to | | | | see smoking in a new light. |