Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Does bicycling contribute to the risk of erectile dysfunction? Results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS)

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 13, pages298–302(2001)Cite this article

Abstract

An association between bicycling and erectile dysfunction (ED) has been described previously, but there are limited data examining this association in a random population of men. Such data would incorporate bicyclists with varied types of riding and other factors. Data from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS) were utilized to examine the association between bicycling and ED. Logistic regression was used to test for an association, controlling for age, energy expenditure, smoking, depression and chronic illness. Bicycling less than 3 h per week was not associated with ED and may be somewhat protective. Bicycling 3 h or more per week may be associated with ED. Data revealed that there may be a reduced probability of ED in those who ride less than 3 h per week and ED may be more likely in bikers who ride more than 3 h per week. More population-based research is needed to better define this relationship.

Download PDF

References

  1. 1

    Hippocrates . On airs, waters, and places. 400 BCE, Part 22. Translated by Francis Adams

  2. 2

    Krane RJ, Goldstein I, Saenz de Tejada I . Impotence New Engl J Med 1989 321, 1648

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  3. 3

    Feldman HA et al. Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study J Urol 1994 151, 54

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  4. 4

    McKinlay JB, Feldman HA . Age-related variation in sexual activity and interest in normal men: results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. In: Rossi AS (ed) Sexuality Across the Life Course. Proceedings of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Mid-Life Development University of Chicago Press: New York 1994 261–285

    Google Scholar 

  5. 5

    Araujo AB et al. The relationship between depressive symptoms and male erectile dysfunction: cross-sectional results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study Psychosom Med 1989 60, 458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. 6

    Laumann EO, Paik A, Rosen RC . Sexual dysfunction in the United States: prevalence and predictors JAMA 1999 281, 537–544

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  7. 7

    Mellion MB . Common cycling injuries: management and prevention Sports Med 1991 11, 52

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  8. 8

    US Department of Transportation . Nation's Top Highway Official Reports On Bicycle Transportation Progress at Earth Day Bike-In Rally. Press Release Thursday, 22 April 1999

  9. 9

    Gray A et al. Age, disease, and changing sex hormone levels in middle-aged men: results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1991 73, 1016

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  10. 10

    Solomon S, Guglielmo K . Impotence and bicycling, a seldom-reported connection Postgrad Med 1987 81, 99

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  11. 11

    Silbert PL et al. Bicycling induced pudendal nerve pressure neuropathy Clin Exp Neurol 1991 28, 191

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. 12

    Hoyt CS . Ulnar neuropathy in bicycle riders Arch Neurol 1976 33, 372

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  13. 13

    Anderson KV, Bovim G . Impotence and nerve entrapment in long distance amateur cyclists Acta Neurol Scand 1997 95, 233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. 14

    Salimpour P et al. Sexual and urinary tract dysfunctions in bicyclists J Urol 1998 159, 30

    Google Scholar 

  15. 15

    Nayal W et al. Transcutaneous penile oxygen pressure during bicycling BJU Int 1999 83, 623–625

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  16. 16

    Mulhall JP et al. The effects of bicycle seat compression on cavernosal artery hemodynamics Int J Impot Res 1996 8, 130

    Google Scholar 

  17. 17

    Broderick GA . Bicycle seats and penile blood flow: does the type of seat matter? J Urol 1999 161, 178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. 18

    Kleinman K et al. A new surrogate variable for erectile dysfunction in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study J Clin Epidemiol 2000 53, 71–78

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  19. 19

    Araujo AB et al. The prospective relation between psychosocial factors and incident erectile dysfunction: results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study Am J Epidemiol 2000 15, 533–541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. 20

    US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration . Case Study No. 15: The Environmental Benefits of Bicycling. National Bicycling and Walking Study Publication No. FHWA-PD-93-015. January 1993

  21. 21

    Public Roads On-Line . Bicycling and walking can be feasible transportation choices: making more modes. Autumn 1994

  22. 22

    Radloff LS . The CES-D scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population Appl Psychol Meas 1977 1, 385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. 23

    US Department of Health and Human Services: National Center for Health Statistics . Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994, NHANES III Household Adult, Examination, and Laboratory Data Files (CD-ROM). Public Use Data File Documentation No. 76200 Hyattsville: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1996

  24. 24

    Bijnen FCH et al. Physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors among elderly men in Finland, Italy, and The Netherlands Am J Epidemiol 1996 143, 553

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  25. 25

    Morris JN et al. Exercise in leisure time: coronary attack and death rates Br Heart J 1990 63, 325

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  26. 26

    Derby CA et al. Modifiable risk factors and erectile dysfunction: can life-style changes modify risk? Urology 2000 56, 302–306

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  27. 27

    American Heart Association . Economic cost of cardiovascular diseases. www.americanheart.org/statistics" type="url 7 March 2000

  28. 28

    Hillman M . Cycling offers important health benefits and should be encouraged Br Med J 1997 315, 490

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  29. 29

    Burke ER . Proper fit of the bicycle Clin Sports Med 1994 13, 1

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grant AG 04673 from the National Institute on Aging, and by grants DK 44995 and DK 51345 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders. The authors would like to thank Andre Araujo for his thoughtful comments during the preparation of this manuscript.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. New England Research Institutes, Watertown, MA, USA

    L Marceau, K Kleinman & J McKinlay

  2. Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    I Goldstein

Authors
  1. L Marceau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K Kleinman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. I Goldstein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J McKinlay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L Marceau.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Marceau, L., Kleinman, K., Goldstein, I. et al. Does bicycling contribute to the risk of erectile dysfunction? Results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS). Int J Impot Res 13, 298–302 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3900733

Download citation

Keywords

  • bicycling
  • erectile dysfunction
  • epidemiology
  • aging
  • men

Further reading

Search

Quick links