Psst. Want a better sex life without resorting to sketchy, email-spammed supplements? Get your butt on a bike four or more days a week.
That’s right: a bike. Contrary to stubbornly persistent misinformation, cycling can actually benefit erectile function in males, and riders who log more miles score better in the lab (and perhaps elsewhere) than those who cycle less frequently, according to the largest study on the topic to date.
RELATED: 6 Ways Cycling Improves Your Sex Life
The multinational study, published last year in the Journal of Urology, compared the urinary and erectile function of 2,774 cyclists, 539 swimmers, and 789 runners. Participants were surveyed on sexual health, prostate symptoms, urinary tract infections, genital numbness, and saddle sores. Cyclists also answered questions about how often and far they rode, what bikes they rode, where they rode, and a host of other variables.
When all the data were analyzed, the cyclists had no more urinary or sexual health problems than swimmers or runners. They did have about twice the incidence of urethral strictures—scarring or narrowing in the urethra—but it wasn't common and didn’t appear to affect urinary health. Meanwhile, getting out of the saddle frequently (about 20 percent of the time) significantly reduced the chances of experiencing numbness.
RELATED: Should You Get Busy the Night Before a Big Ride?
These results echo the findings of a 2014 study of more than 5,282 male cyclists, which found no connection between cycling and erectile dysfunction or infertility, regardless of how many miles or hours logged on the bike. That included cyclists churning out 200 miles a week. (Check out this Velocio bike jersey for men.)
This isn't to say that you shouldn't take steps to protect your man parts on a ride. But the next time someone tells you cycling causes erectile dysfunction, present them with this hard evidence to the contrary.
