The popular hero after vanquishing a bunch of villains, stylishly tosses up a cigarette in the air, catches it with his mouth and lights it with a match stick rubbing against the villain’s head. This Bollywood fantasy catches the fancy of millions. If you are one of them, think twice.
Dr John Spangler’s study established that people who smoke are 26 times more likely to have erectile dysfunction. Smokers in their 30’s and 40’s have an increased risk. The tobacco in a cigarette burning at 60º celsius produces about 400 toxins.
The most notorious among them are tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide. Erection can occur only when adequate blood flows freely into the penis. For this, blood vessels should be in good health. These blood vessels are lined internally with endothelium — the seat of many chemical reactions which ultimately determine the amount of blood flowing through the arteries.
When this endothelium is damaged, it can not relax and allow sufficient blood to flow through it. Not only that, the damaged endothelium is more prone to develop plaques, clots, thus narrowing the lumen of the blood vessels. Nicotine hardens the arteries by damaging their endothelium. Smoking also raises the blood pressure. This injurious endothelial damaging process responsible for erection problems can also damage the coronary arteries in the heart.
It also affects a woman’s sexual health. By narrowing the blood vessels in the vagina, smoking adversely affects adequate lubrication, making sex a painful chore. Tips for smokers:
- Choose what you want: sex or tobacco.
- Undergo nicotine replacement therapy.
- Seek the help of a specialist for de-addiction.
The writer is a sexologist. Mail him at dr.narayana@deccanmail.com
