Thirty million men in the United States suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED), and this number is expected to double by 2025.

Chronic smoking is a major risk factor in the development of this condition. There is no doubt that the quality of erections and degree of hardness is adversely affected by smoking. These facts are the major reason that I encourage younger men to stop smoking. Erections are more important to most men than the fear of lung cancer and heart disease.

Smoking injures the ability of blood vessels to respond to sexual stimuli. Normally blood vessels release a substance known as nitric oxide during sexual stimulation, resulting in the opening of the floodgates. Smokers release less nitric oxide and the blood vessels open less readily, resulting in a flaccid erection. It is still unknown whether nicotine or other products of cigarette smoke cause all the effects related to vascular damage.
Stop smoking.