Niacin for Erectile Dysfunction

From: http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?id=2483

Niacin for Erectile Dysfunction
In a new study, researchers set out to assess the effect of niacin alone on erectile function in patients suffering from both ED and dyslipidemia.3
Using the protocol of a clinical randomized placebo-controlled parallel-group trial, the study also took place at the University of Hong Kong. One hundred sixty male patients with ED and dyslipidemia were randomized into two groups receiving either up to 1,500 mg of oral niacin daily or placebo for 12 weeks. Using questions from the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF, particularly questions Q3 and Q4), the primary outcome was improvement in erectile function. Q3 ranked “frequency of penetration,” while Q4 ranked “frequency of maintained erections after penetration.” Other outcome measurements included the total IIEF score, IIEF-erectile function domain, and Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) score.

In the analysis of the study, the niacin group showed a significant increase in both IIEF-Q3 scores and IIEF-Q4 scores compared to the initial baseline values. While the placebo group also showed a significant increase in IIEF-Q3 scores (high hopes, no doubt), it did not for IIEF-Q4 scores. In other words, the “placebo effect” did not extend to maintaining erections. Also, when patients were stratified according to the baseline severity of ED, the patients with moderate and severe ED who received niacin showed a significant improvement in IIEF-Q3 scores (0.56 and 1.03, respectively) and IIEF-Q4 scores (0.56 and 0.84, respectively) compared with baseline values. These results were not significantly increased for the placebo group.

Best Results: Severe and Moderate ED
The improvements in IIEF-erectile function domain (IIEF-EF) score for moderate and severe ED patients in the niacin group were 3.31 and 5.28 and in the placebo group were 2.74 and 2.65, respectively. In the lower range of mild and mild-to-moderate ED, there was no significant improvement in erectile function. Of the 160 patients in the study, 32 were using statins; 18 in the niacin group and 14 in the placebo group. For patients not receiving statin treatment, there was a significant improvement in IIEF-Q3 scores (0.47) for the niacin group, but not for the placebo group. To summarize, niacin alone can improve the erectile function in patients suffering from moderate to severe ED and dyslipidemia.

Blogger comment:
Niacin is effective in ED in 12 weeks suggesting the action is through vasodilatory effect. It is likely many men in the 40-50 age group would benefit from treating early and aggressively lipid to prevent ED or even reverses it. It is likely you need LDL in the range of 70 or lower, since studies showed it to be the level below which you can see staplization of the atherosclerotic process and possibly its regession.