Erectile dysfunction is caused by build up of a sticky cholesterol plaque that clogs the flow of blood, and is nothing to do with stress, fatigue, psychological reasons or low testosterone levels.
Narrowed arteries can cause erectile dysfunction, but it is incorrect to say this is the only reason. Changes to hormones, stress, mental health conditions like anxiety, as well as certain drugs are also common causes.
A video on Facebook seen almost 900,000 times claims that “male performance issues” “have absolutely nothing to do with stress, fatigue, psychological reasons or low testosterone levels” and instead are all from “one root cause”—a ”build up of a sticky cholesterol plaque that clogs the flow of blood to your member.” This is not true.
We have written many times regarding misinformation around diseases and how our bodies work. False claims about health can cause harm if it influences people's choices about medicine or treatments, and it can undermine important messages from public health authorities.
Claims that conditions have one single cause or cure can prevent people from getting the treatment or help they actually need.
Atherosclerosis, when arteries in the body become narrow due to cholesterol build up, is indeed a common cause of erectile dysfunction. Atherosclerosis can be caused by smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and leads to plaques building up inside blood vessels. But it is far from the only cause of erectile dysfunction.
The condition can result from several other causes including those that the post claims have “absolutely nothing” to do with it.
Sexual function in humans depends heavily on hormonal systems, and conditions that lead to low testosterone can increase the risk of impotence. Likewise, it can be caused by medications that interfere with hormones like those prescribed for hair loss.
The post also claims that “stress, fatigue [and] psychological reasons” don’t play a role. However, underlying stress, mental health issues, relationship concerns and anxiety about sex itself are all well documented causes of erectile dysfunction.
Other causes of the condition include certain medications, like common antidepressants and blood pressure drugs. Alcohol and recreational drugs can also be culprits. Nicotine from smoking can cause reductions in blood flow independent of contributing to atherosclerosis.
Featured image courtesy of allen watkin
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because there are multiple causes of erectile dysfunction.
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