Have you ever wondered why the sun has been worshipped and glorified by many ancient cultures for so long? Among the civilizations who worshipped the Sun were Greeks, Egyptians, Aztecs, the Native Americans and Chinese. Moreover the Greek word expressing the exposure of the skin to sunlight, namely sunbathing is ηλιοθεραπεία (ήλιος=sun, θεραπεία=therapy), meaning that the sunlight has healing power.
The sun is a source of life. It creates and accelerates the metabolism of plants, animals and of course humans. That’s why our exposure to the sun benefits immeasurably our health. The sunlight creates the A and D vitamins and it’s the primary treatment against osteoporosis, skin rejuvenation, some types of cancer, depression, heart disease etc.
The sunshine vitamin regulates mainly the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. What many people don’t know is that vitamin D regulates more than 1,000 other crucial bodily functions. It goes without saying that this vitamin is a key to the health of both body and mind; not only it contributes to growing strong bones but also helps the immune system to function better. That’s why deficiency of vitamin D leads to many dysfunctions and disorders. In particular, many studies have shown that low levels of Vitamin D are common to patients suffering from different diseases such as osteoporosis, heart diseases, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and mental disorders like schizophrenia. This goes the other way around too, namely low levels of the vitamin increase the risk of some serious health conditions.
Deficiency of Vitamin D is also linked to erectile dysfunction according to a new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. The study revealed that low levels of Vitamin D are common to erectile dysfunction (ED) patients. Particularly, Dr Barassi, M.D., from the University of Milan, and her colleagues examined the levels of vitamin D among patients with ED.
The researchers found that the mean vitamin D level was 21.3 ng/mL, and almost 46% of patients had vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL). What’s more, Vitamin D levels were significantly lower in patients with severe or complete ED. The aetiology of ED was classified as arteriogenic (A-ED; 50 patients), borderline (28 patients), and non-arteriogenic (NA-ED; 65 patients).
Moreover Vitamin D affects the production of testosterone which is vital for maintaining a healthy and functioning erection. Low levels of testosterone not only increase the risk of erectile dysfunction and impotence but are also linked to reproductive problems and low sex drive.
Thus, men having Erectile Dysfunction issues should check their Vitamin D levels. According to doctors, Vitamin D deficiency should be addressed through suitable supplements.