← all papers · vascular health (18) Science journalism, not medical advice.
- TRT and Heart Risk: Is a Gel Safer Than a Shot?2026-07-05
Low testosterone tracks with worse blood vessel markers, and TRT improves most of them, but gel vs. injection safety claims are still unproven
Circulating Markers of Cardiovascular Health in Hypogonadism Before and After Testosterone Therapy: Molecular Aspects and Formulation Comparison hypogonadism testosterone therapy cardiovascular disease vascular health biomarkers narrative review
- Shockwave Therapy Works, But Not How They Thought2026-06-23
Radial shockwave therapy improved erectile function in 44% of 48 men with vasculogenic ED, but left cavernosal oxidative stress markers unchanged
Evaluation of Cavernosal Oxidative Biomarkers Following Radial Li-ESWT in Vasculogenic Erectile Dysfunction erectile dysfunction oxidative stress vascular health biomarkers
- The Gene That Kills Erections in Hypertensive Rats2026-06-05
In hypertensive rats, Ephx2 overexpression in penile endothelium suppresses the AKT/eNOS pathway; silencing it or giving icariin restored measurable erectile function
Suppression of Ephx2 in Endothelial Cells of Penile Cavernous Tissue Improves SHR Erectile Function animal study erectile dysfunction hypertension vascular health traditional chinese medicine genetics
- Yes, Exercise Helps ED. The Effect Is Modest.2026-05-11
16 RCTs, 1,477 men: lifestyle interventions improved IIEF scores by 2.35 points — statistically significant, clinically borderline.
Efficacy of Lifestyle Interventions in Treating Erectile Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials erectile dysfunction systematic review meta-analysis vascular health exercise
- New ED Drug: Higher Dose, Same Effect, More Side Effects2026-05-09
Phase 2 RCT of 255 men finds simenafil (5–20 mg) improves IIEF-EF scores ~9 points over placebo, but 20 mg hits 62% adverse event rate with no clear efficacy advantage over 5 mg
Efficacy and Safety of Simenafil in Men with Erectile Dysfunction: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Fixed-Dose, Parallel-Group, Phase 2 Trial erectile dysfunction vascular health sexual dysfunction
- Every Man After a Heart Attack Had ED2026-05-04
All 400 post-MI men had ED, and its severity was the single strongest predictor of quality of life after a heart attack.
Erectile Dysfunction and Quality of Life After Myocardial Infarction: A Cross-Sectional Study with Routine Point-of-Care Penile Doppler Ultrasonography erectile dysfunction cardiovascular disease cross-sectional quality of life vascular health
- Dyslipidemia and ED: Plausible but Not Proven2026-04-22
A review maps five pathways linking dyslipidemia to ED, then concedes direct evidence for all five is limited
Mechanisms of Dyslipidemia-Induced Erectile Dysfunction: A Narrative Review erectile dysfunction narrative review cardiovascular disease vascular health metabolic syndrome oxidative stress
- New Obesity Hurts Erections More Than Chronic Obesity2026-04-09
Brazilian men who became newly obese had 2.46× the odds of persistent ED vs. stable healthy-weight men; those already obese had 1.73×
Longitudinal Associations Between Changes in Body Mass Index and Erectile Dysfunction erectile dysfunction obesity cohort study vascular health
- Shockwave Beats Kegels in Diabetic ED, but Both Help2026-04-02
Adding either Li-ESWT or home pelvic floor training to sildenafil improved penile blood flow in 90 diabetic men; shockwave led by 10 cm/sec
Low-intensity shockwave therapy and pelvic floor muscle training each mitigate erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes: a randomised controlled trial erectile dysfunction pelvic floor vascular health diabetes
- ACE Inhibitors Beat Beta-Blockers for Female Sexual Function2026-03-17
ACEIs/ARBs improved all sexual function domains in hypertensive women; beta-blockers helped less, especially in uncontrolled hypertension (n=125, 3 months)
Sexual Function Among Hypertensive Females Receiving Beta-Blockers or ACEI/ARB and Thiazides: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study sexual dysfunction cardiovascular disease women's health vascular health
- Shockwave Therapy for ED Fades After 12 Months2026-03-02
Li-ESWT pushed IIEF-EF from 11 to 21 at 12 months in 188 PDE5-refractory men — but scores slipped to 18 by 18 months
Low-Intensity Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Vasculogenic ED Refractory to PDE5 Inhibitors: A Prospective Study with 12- and 18-Month Outcomes erectile dysfunction vascular health evidence quality
- Cisplatin's Kidney Damage Cascades Into Heart Disease2026-02-13
41% of testicular cancer survivors had reduced kidney function a decade post-chemo; it cascades into hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and CVD
Renal Impairment and Late Toxicities Comparing Contemporary Chemotherapy Regimens for Testicular Cancer in a Real-World Setting testicular cancer survivorship cardiovascular disease vascular health
- Insulin Resistance Linked to Softer Erections2026-02-11
Higher TyG index — a proxy for insulin resistance — correlated weakly with lower penile rigidity on objective testing (r = −0.22 at best)
Association Between Triglyceride-Glucose Index and AVSS-RigiScan Test Parameters in Men With Erectile Dysfunction erectile dysfunction metabolic syndrome biomarkers vascular health
- Blood Flow Physics May Explain ED2026-01-13
A narrative review of how mechanical force on vessel walls drives—or disrupts—the biology of erection
Exploring the Application of Shear Stress in Erectile Dysfunction erectile dysfunction vascular health
- New Blood Marker Flags ED — At 71% Accuracy2026-01-05
sTWEAK, an inflammatory cytokine, rose with ED severity in 90 patients vs. 90 controls — AUC 0.776, 71% sensitivity and specificity
New biomarker for erectile dysfunction: Soluble tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis erectile dysfunction biomarkers vascular health cardiovascular disease
- Vascular Surgery's Sexual Side Effects: Nobody's Talking2025-12-20
88% of male AAA patients were never warned their procedure could affect sexual function—yet it did
Sexual Function Following Elective Endovascular Surgery for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm surgical outcomes sexual dysfunction vascular health women's health
- Blocking One Protein Protects Penile Vessels in Diabetic Rats2025-12-16
Rat study identifies a molecular pathway linking high blood sugar to penile endothelial aging — no human data yet
Inhibition of c-Jun/Bak Signaling Alleviates Endothelial Cell Senescence and Inflammation Caused by Mitochondrial Dysfunction in DMED erectile dysfunction animal study oxidative stress vascular health inflammation
- Genetics Flags Two New ED Drug Targets2025-06-15
Mendelian randomization across ~325K individuals flagged two candidate drug targets for ED, both expressed in penile endothelial and smooth muscle cells
Identification of potential drug targets for erectile dysfunction with single-cell RNA sequencing: A Mendelian randomization study erectile dysfunction genetics vascular health biomarkers