Vitamins should be part of daily health regime – especially if you suffer form ED problems. Here are the benefits of certain vitamins and what could happen if you are deficient.
What Will I Learn
What Vitamins are Best for Erectile Dysfunction?
You may have heard certain vitamins are good for treating erectile dysfunction. Unfortunately, this widespread belief is only partially correct.
Some vitamin deficiencies are capable of contributing to erectile dysfunction.
That means men whose sex lives are being spoiled by vitamin deficiencies may find taking the correct supplement or modifying their diet may be enough to make their erection problems go away.
However, when dietary inadequacies are not the root cause of the problem, getting extra vitamins is unlikely to offer much help.
Which Vitamin Deficiencies Can Cause ED?
Four vitamins are associated with erectile dysfunction:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Niacin (Vitamin B3)
- Vitamin B9
However, in order to function correctly and enable you to enjoy optimum health, your body requires many other nutrients as well.
Nutrient deficiency of any type is never good.
When your body lacks important nutrients, you are more likely to feel tired and out of sorts.
Even if your penis is fully functional, you may still find it difficult to find the energy and enthusiasm to put your tool to work.
With this in mind, it’s always best to focus on eating a healthy, well-balanced diet instead of just trying to top-up with certain vitamins in the hope that it will help you to get hard.
Increasing blood flow can improve the quality of your erection and sex life.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that’s present in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables including spinach, broccoli, bell peppers, oranges, and grapefruit.
The body cannot store water-soluble vitamins. That means you need to keep topping up your vitamin levels every day.
Many men are Vitamin C deficient due to poor diet, but other factors can come into play as well.
Certain habits, such as smoking and drinking too much alcohol can purge Vitamin C from the body. There’s a lot to be said for healthy living.
Symptoms of Vitamin C deficiency can include fatigue, increased susceptibility to disease, feeling weak, irritability, and, in extreme cases, scurvy.
Lack of Vitamin C can cause erectile dysfunction by causing circulation problems that prevent the penis from getting enough blood to get hard.
Sexual stimulation normally kicks-off a series of processes that cause the penis to fill with blood.
Vitamin C supports the biochemical pathways that aid the release of nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide relaxes the blood vessels allowing extra blood to flood into the penis. When you are deficient in Vitamin C it throws a spanner into the works.
The best way to get more Vitamin C is to begin eating more fruits and vegetables, but there are plenty of options if you want to use a supplement as well.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that’s present in mackerel, salmon, and other oily fish.
Vegetarians and vegans can top-up their Vitamin D levels by eating mushrooms.
The body can also manufacture Vitamin D. It does this via processes that occur when sunlight touches the skin.
The ultraviolet (UV) radiation cause a reaction in the cholecalciferol present under the skin. The result is Vitamin D
The body can store fat-soluble vitamins but Vitamin D deficiency is alarmingly common. Many men don’t eat enough of the right foods to keep their levels topped up.
The fact that sunscreen lotions are so popular only makes the situation worse.
Although their ability to block UV offers protection from skin cancer, it also robs the body of the opportunity to make Vitamin D.
Vitamin D serves many important purposes in the body. One of the things it does help your body absorb important nutrients including calcium and magnesium.
Magnesium is an essential mineral, it can be found in bananas, nuts and spinach and has been shown to improve athletic performance.
That means Vitamin D deficiency can cause other deficiencies too.
Muscle weakness and bone pain are two of the many problems that can arise if you do not get enough of this important vitamin.
Some research suggests men who don’t get enough Vitamin D are 32 percent more likely to struggle with erectile dysfunction than men who do get enough of the “sunshine vitamin.”
Eating more fatty fish is a good way to get more Vitamin D.
Egg yolks are a good source of it too. So is liver. Many breakfast cereals are fortified with Vitamin D too.
If you want to get more Vitamin D by taking supplements, fish oil capsules are a good option.
As well as being a great source of Vitamin D, fish oil capsules are also rich in health-boosting omega-3 fatty acids that are good for the heart.
Niacin (Vitamin B3)
Like Vitamin C, niacin is a water-soluble vitamin you need to consume on a daily basis if you want to try and avoid erectile dysfunction.
It’s not just your penis that needs it. Every part of your body requires sufficient niacin to enable it to function properly.
When you don’t get enough niacin in your diet, you are more likely to suffer from high cholesterol.
Many people take niacin supplements to try and keep their cholesterol levels under control.
In some countries, niacin is available as a prescription medication.
Like other B vitamins, niacin helps the body get energy from food. If you don’t get enough of these vitamins you may find your sexual prowess hindered by a tendency to keep running out of steam.
Lack of niacin can also cause memory loss and mental confusion. It can encourage depression and may cause problems with the skin as well.
Niacin is also a vasodilator that improves erection quality by relaxing the blood vessels and improving circulation.
The good news is, niacin deficiency in men is relatively rare.
It’s present in many different types of food and is also a key ingredient in the energy drinks that are so popular these days.
If you are worried you may not be getting enough niacin, try eating more fish, poultry, and red meat.
There are numerous vegan-friendly sources of niacin too. Mushrooms, avocado, brown rice, green peas—these are but a few of the many foods you can eat to make sure your niacin levels remain high.
Vitamin B9
Folic acid is another B vitamin your body uses to extract energy from food.
It further boosts energy levels by helping your body create the red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body.
Treatments involving folic acid are often used for treating anemia.
If you want to get more Vitamin B9 from your diet, eat more lentils, beans, asparagus, spinach, and broccoli. Lettuce, sweetcorn, avocado, and oranges are good sources of Vitamin B9 as well.
The Vitamin B9 in supplements is usually provided as folic acid.
If you suspect you may be Vitamin B9 deficient, erectile dysfunction is only one of many problems you may notice.
Other signs to look out for include fatigue, weakness, problems concentrating, heart palpitations, and shortage of breath.
Vitamin B9 deficiency can cause erectile dysfunction because not getting enough of it can prevent the penis from getting enough blood.
Being Vitamin B9 deficient can further hamper your ability to get hard by making you more prone to stress and anxiety.
Being stressed or anxious can interfere with the signals the brain sends to the penis to tell it to get hard.
Best Vitamins for Erectile Dysfunction – The Bottom Line
Certain vitamin deficiencies can cause erectile dysfunction but vitamin deficiency is not the only cause.
It’s only one of many issues that can prevent a man’s penis from becoming hard.
Some men use a combination of natural supplements and essential oils as well as upping their vitamin intake.
However, in cases where vitamin deficiency is the main cause of erectile dysfunction, getting more of the vitamins in question should help perk up the penis and get it ready for action.
That’s one of the reasons so many male potency supplements contain niacin, folic acid, and vitamins C and D.
However, supplements of this nature contain other beneficial compounds as well because they aim to tackle male potency problems in a number of different ways.
If a vitamin deficiency is causing your ED, it will probably be largely due to bad diet. Where this is the case, you will probably be suffering from other nutritional deficiencies too.
Certain mineral deficiencies can cause erection difficulties as well.
Lack of zinc can be particularly bad. When you do not get enough of the amino acid L-arginine it may cause erection problems too.
Erectile dysfunction is often only a small part of a much bigger picture.
Dietary inadequacies can harm the body in many different ways.
If you know your diet is poor and think it may be keeping you limp, the best thing to do is improve your overall diet instead of focusing on certain nutrients.
Apart from helping you to beat erectile dysfunction, this course of action will also enhance your health and provide an improved feeling of well-being.
