Q. A few months ago a gentleman wrote to you about having an increase in libido after using beet root juice. You told him that the beet root juice had much the same effect as if he were taking Cialis or Viagra: the juice allowed more blood to flow to the penis, enabling him to have better erections.
I am 81 years old and my wife is 77 years old. We are still very amorous with each other and enjoy “petting.” We would like to go further but I have a problem maintaining a firm erection, so it is not possible.
The cost of Viagra means it is not a viable option. I would like to try beet root juice to see if it might improve the quality of our lives. My medications include simvastatin, levothyroxine and aspirin. I don’t know if they could cause some adverse sexual effects.
A. A surprising number of studies (16) have shown that beet root juice lowers blood pressure (Journal of Nutrition, June, 2013). The mechanism is by stimulating the production of nitric oxide in blood vessels. This natural compound helps blood vessels relax and improves circulation.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs such as Cialis, Levitra and Viagra also work by stimulating nitric oxide production and improving blood flow to the penis. Beet root juice has not been studied as a way to treat ED.
Erectile dysfunction has been reported as a side effect of statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs like simvastatin. Although the causal connection is controversial, such drugs do appear to lower testosterone levels (Journal of Sexual Medicine, April, 2010). Many readers of The People’s Pharmacy have reported sexual difficulty in conjunction with statin treatment.
