Weetabix vitamin that saves a man's love life
By Pat Hagan
Last updated at 7:52 AM on 16th August 2011A vitamin found in breakfast cereals such as porridge and Weetabix could help to boost the love lives of men with erection problems.
New research shows taking high doses of niacin, also known as vitamin B3, can enhance the performance of men with severe impotence.
Volunteers who took two to three 500 milligram niacin pills every day for 12 weeks reported significant improvements in their sex lives, compared to those who took a placebo tablet.
Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, found in breakfast cereals such as porridge and Weetabix could help to boost the love lives of men with erection problems
Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where the study was carried out, believe niacin works by boosting blood flow to the pelvic region.
Like statins, the anti-cholesterol drugs prescribed to millions of people in the UK, niacin can help to reduce levels of harmful fats that clog up the body’s main arteries.
It’s thought taking it every day helps to reduce cholesterol deposits in the main arteries in the pelvis, allowing more blood to reach the genitals.
It may also work by helping blood vessels to dilate, which improves blood flow.
Niacin works by boosting blood flow to the pelvic region
But the quantities involved, up to 1,500mg a day, cannot be consumed by simply eating an extra bowl of cereal or other niacin-rich foods, such as meat, fish, eggs or milk.
In fact, one person would need to scoff around 580 Weetabix biscuits to get the equivalent amount eaten by each of the 161 men who took part in the study.
One in four men in the UK reportedly suffers erectile dysfunction at some point in their lives.
Although drugs such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra have revolutionised treatment in the past ten years, 30 per cent of men who take them see no improvement.
For these men, the only other options are to inject drugs straight into the penis, or use a pump that manually increases blood supply to the organ. Neither is very popular.
Some cardiologists now believe erectile problems are a powerful early sign of undiagnosed heart problems.
Blood vessels in the pelvic region can become clogged through poor diet, smoking and lack of exercise.
In some cardiology clinics, it’s estimated that 60 per cent of heart attack patients suffer sex drive problems up to five years before falling ill.
Niacin is a vitamin the body needs to help convert the foods we eat into energy and maintain healthy nervous and digestive systems.
One in four men in the UK reportedly suffers erectile dysfunction at some point in their lives
It cannot be stored in the body, so must be eaten every day. The minimum amount needed for a man is 17mg daily (the amount found in two average-sized chicken breasts) and 13mg for a woman (found in five Weetabix).
In supplement form, niacin is also used to control cholesterol. It works by raising levels of high-density lipoprotein, the so-called ‘good’ cholesterol.
But it has been overshadowed by the success of statins, which work mainly by driving down low-density lipoprotein, or ‘bad’ cholesterol.
As some research suggests statins may also help with impotence, researchers wanted to see if niacin had the same effect.
The results, published in The Journal Of Sexual Medicine, showed that the men taking niacin showed a big improvement compared to those on placebo, with the worst erectile function cases benefiting most.
The results were measured using a recognised scoring system, called the International Index of Erectile Function, which measures the ability to obtain and sustain an erection.
Researchers said that as well as tackling cholesterol, niacin may also dilate blood vessels.
The vitamin triggers the release of a substance called prostaglandin 2, which is known to help the endothelium, the lining of a blood vessel, relax and let more blood through.
This is one of the reasons why niacin in high doses can cause facial flushing. A third of the men on the trial complained of this side-effect, as well as itchy skin.
Dr David Edwards, a GP and expert in sexual medicine from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, said the findings were interesting. But he warned against men rushing out to buy high-dose niacin supplements without proper medical checks.
‘Any medication that helps with erectile dysfunction is worth looking into. But these are abnormally large doses of niacin and might not be safe.
'Any man with erectile problems should be fully medically assessed to make sure there are no underlying health problems, such as heart disease or diabetes.’
