Will going vegan help my erectile dysfunction?

With more young people choosing a meatless diet, activists are now claiming that plant-based eating will help cure erectile dysfunction. But what are the facts?

By Manon Dark

By the end of this year 12 million Brits have said they will follow a vegetarian, vegan or pescatarian diet, according to a study by Finder.

In the Netflix documentary, The Game Changers, America’s “favourite penis doctor” Aaron Spitz, conducts an experiment to prove that plant-based diets benefit men’s sex lives.

Dr Spitz gives three US college athletes veggie burritos one evening, and then meat burritos another. He then measures their erections while they sleep.

The three athletes have erections that last on average almost five times longer after eating the meatless meal, with erections up to 13.5% firmer.

Lorraine Grover, a psychosexual nurse specializing in erectile dysfunction says she has not seen any medical evidence to support Dr. Spitz’s theory.

But she says: “I think if men are taking particular interest in their body and they’re eating healthy, they’re cleansed and feeling better. The psychology of that can impact a man’s sexual function.”

Although Dr Spitz stated that the experiment is not scientifically validated, Ms Grover also highlights the lack of patients involved which make the study less representative.

According to Ms Grover, the most common causes of erectile dysfunction are diabetes and certain illnesses including cardiovascular disease.

“You can change what you eat and the amount of saturated fats you eat and they can affect your erectile function,” she says.

Theodora Iona, campaigns officer at PETA, says the documentary highlights the damaging importance that is placed on men eating meat.

“It’s a cultural thing and [the documentary] shows all these amazing vegan men who are at the top of their fields and they’re enjoying being vegan.”