Does Vitamin D Deficiency Contribute to Erectile Dysfunction?

March 19, 2021

4 mins

In today's world, people are spending more time in their homes and less time outdoors. While it may not seem immediately obvious, this transition to more time spent indoors can have negative impacts on your health. Aside from being physically inactive, a decreased exposure to sunlight can lead to a vitamin D deficiency. 

Vitamin D carries out many important functions in the human body. When deficient, different parts of the body can suffer from less than ideal functioning.

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What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a vitamin that helps keep the bones healthy through calcium absorption. It may also reduce inflammation and promote cell growth. The body also naturally produces vitamin D on its own. However, you can obtain vitamin D through diet and direct sunlight exposure.

What are the sources of vitamin D?

Dietary vitamin D is commonly consumed through the following foods:

• Fish

• Eggs

• Beef

• Pork

• Chicken 

The nice thing about vitamin D is that there are many ways to increase vitamin D levels based on your lifestule. Going outside more, eating more vitamin D-rich foods, or even taking vitamin D supplements are great ways to ensure you are getting enough vitamin D. 

What Are the Benefits of Vitamin D?

Vitamin D has a wide reach on different bodily functions. From supporting mineral balance to supporting good bone health, vitamin D is a crucial component in your overall health. Below is a breakdown of what vitamin D does in the body and how it impacts different aspects of your daily functioning. 

Maintains Mineral Balance

Vitamin D assists with the absorption of minerals like calcium, phosphate, and magnesium. These minerals contribute to other vital organic compounds synthesized within the body. 

Magnesium is involved in over 300 different biochemical reactions in the human body. Because vitamin D plays a supportive role in the absorption of minerals, it can ensure that you are getting the most minerals out of your food. When deficient in vitamin D, the ability to absorb some of these minerals through diet can be challenging. 

Improves Bone Health

A common misconception about the human body is that bones are stagnant structures in the body. While the bones do provide shape and structure to your body, they are constantly changing, adapting, and living tissue like any other part of your body. Vitamin D provides calcium to help your bones go through this process.

When calcium levels are low, cells called osteoclasts remove some of the calcium on the bone to restore the proper calcium concentration in the body. Vitamin D assists in balancing phosphorus and calcium to allow for the mineralization and deposition of calcium. 

Managing Diabetes

Vitamin D is a risk factor for developing type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Low levels of vitamin D may contribute to an increased risk of severe diabetes symptoms. Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of insulin resistance. When someone has diabetes, there body is not able to properly process insulin (blood sugar).

Who is at Risk for Developing Vitamin D Deficiency?

Spending less time outdoors may increase your risk of vitamin D deficiency. Sunlight exposure is a great way to reduce the risk of vitamin D deficiency. Consider walking outside after work or during a lunch break to get some time in the sun when possible.

People with deeper skin complexions are more at risk for vitamin D deficiency. People with darker skin complexions have more melanin in their skin. Melanin in the skin allows it to absorb UVB rays, which causes the skin to take longer to absorb vitamin D.

How Can Vitamin D Deficiency Lead to ED?

Vitamin D is involved in nitric oxide — a key component in reaching an erection. Not having enough nitric oxide can inhibit the proper blood flow needed to reach an erection. People with a vitamin D deficiency are also at an increased risk for developing a type of cardiovascular disease. Coronary artery disease is a type of cardiovascular disease that is often associated with vitamin D deficiency.

What Else Puts You at a Greater Risk for Developing ED?

Erectile dysfunction from vitamin D deficiency makes up a small portion of most ED diagnoses. The largest contributing factors to the onset of ED are lifestyle and environmental factors. Research is continually being conducted to learn more about potential causes of ED.

How Rex MD Can Help

While vitamin d deficiency isn't the main cause of ED, not having enough vitamin D may not help ED caused by other factors. No matter what the cause of your ED is, REX MD can provide you with access to treatment.

Get started today with finding a medication that helps you take control of your ED.