A recent study by Yangtze University and Tongji University in China has found no evidence that marijuana use causes erectile dysfunction (ED) or affects sex hormone levels.
Published in the International Journal of Impotence Research and online by the US National Library of Medicine, the study used advanced genetic analysis to investigate these potential links.
Previous research suggested that cannabis might increase the risk of ED by disrupting hormone levels. However, these claims have been debated, and a clear cause-and-effect relationship had not been established. This new study aimed to clarify these concerns by examining genetic data from large health databases in Finland (FinnGen) and the UK (UK Biobank).
The researchers looked at two aspects of cannabis use: cannabis use disorder (CUD), which is a severe form of use, and lifetime cannabis use (LCU), which measures how much someone has used cannabis over their life. They analyzed whether these factors were linked to ED and levels of key sex hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.
The results were clear: there was no significant connection between cannabis use and the risk of ED. Whether looking at CUD or LCU, the findings showed no increase in the likelihood of experiencing ED. The same was true when examining the levels of sex hormones—cannabis use did not appear to affect these levels in any meaningful way.
The study also tested for other possible errors or influences that could skew the results, but found none, reinforcing the reliability of their conclusions.
Researchers say “In conclusion, this MR analysis did not provide evidence supporting a causal relationship between CU and ED or sex hormone levels.”
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