MEN who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day are almost 40 per cent more likely to suffer from impotence than non-smokers, according to an Australian study.

Doctors from Sydney used data from the Australian Study of Health and Relationships, a nationwide health survey, to work out the effect of smoking on erectile dysfunction. Earlier studies had suggested there was a link.

More than 8,000 men aged between 16 and 59 completed a telephone interview between mid-2001 and mid-2002. They were asked, among other things, if there had been a month or more during the past year when they had had trouble sustaining an erection. Almost one in ten said that they had. This was then compared with what the respondents said about their smoking habits.

In the group as a whole, more than a quarter of all those who responded were smokers, with one in five smoking 20 or fewer cigarettes a day. Just over 6 per cent smoked 20 or more a day.

When compared with non-smokers, those who smoked 20 or fewer cigarettes a day were 24 per cent more likely to report difficulties maintaining an erection, the study found. But those smoking more than a pack a day were 39 per cent more likely to report erectile difficulties.

The study, published in Tobacco Control, also shows that moderate drinking (one to four drinks a day) tends to reduce the risks of erectile dysfunction. Non-drinkers, and those who drank more than four drinks a day, were much more likely to suffer.

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