j_young_80
06-11-2009, 02:07 PM
At least that's the conclusion I draw from this.
ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AFTER A LONG-DISTANCE CYCLING EVENT: ASSOCIATIONS WITH BICYCLE CHARACTERISTICS
aFrom the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington and the Department of Urology, Virginia Mason Medical Centre, Seattle, Washington
ABSTRACT
Purpose:
We conducted a prospective cohort study to examine the relationship between bicycle characteristics and the occurrence of erectile dysfunction.
Materials and Methods:
Subjects consisted of 463 cyclists completing a cycling event of at least 320 km who were free of erectile dysfunction before their event.
Results:
The cumulative incidence of erectile dysfunction after the ride was 4.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.4%–6.8%) and 1.8% (95% CI 0.7%–3.8%) 1 week and 1 month after the event, respectively. Bicycle characteristics associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction included a mountain bicycle compared with a road bicycle (risk ratio [RR] 4.1, 95% CI 1.6–12.5), and the relative height of the handlebars parallel with or higher than the saddle compared with the relative handlebar height lower than the saddle (RR 3.0, 95% CI 1.1–9.3). Perineal numbness during the ride was experienced by 31% of the cyclists and was associated with erectile dysfunction (RR 4.4, 95% CI 1.6–12.7). Saddle cut-outs were associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction among those who experienced numbness (RR 6.0, 95% CI 1.3–27.1), but the association was reversed among those who did not report numbness (RR 0.3, 95% CI 0.0–2.5).
Conclusions:
If the associations described are causal, then cyclists on a long-distance ride may be able to decrease the risk of erectile dysfunction by riding a road bicycle instead of a mountain bicycle, keeping handlebar height lower than saddle height and using a saddle without a cut-out if perineal numbness is experienced.
ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AFTER A LONG-DISTANCE CYCLING EVENT: ASSOCIATIONS WITH BICYCLE CHARACTERISTICS
aFrom the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington and the Department of Urology, Virginia Mason Medical Centre, Seattle, Washington
ABSTRACT
Purpose:
We conducted a prospective cohort study to examine the relationship between bicycle characteristics and the occurrence of erectile dysfunction.
Materials and Methods:
Subjects consisted of 463 cyclists completing a cycling event of at least 320 km who were free of erectile dysfunction before their event.
Results:
The cumulative incidence of erectile dysfunction after the ride was 4.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.4%–6.8%) and 1.8% (95% CI 0.7%–3.8%) 1 week and 1 month after the event, respectively. Bicycle characteristics associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction included a mountain bicycle compared with a road bicycle (risk ratio [RR] 4.1, 95% CI 1.6–12.5), and the relative height of the handlebars parallel with or higher than the saddle compared with the relative handlebar height lower than the saddle (RR 3.0, 95% CI 1.1–9.3). Perineal numbness during the ride was experienced by 31% of the cyclists and was associated with erectile dysfunction (RR 4.4, 95% CI 1.6–12.7). Saddle cut-outs were associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction among those who experienced numbness (RR 6.0, 95% CI 1.3–27.1), but the association was reversed among those who did not report numbness (RR 0.3, 95% CI 0.0–2.5).
Conclusions:
If the associations described are causal, then cyclists on a long-distance ride may be able to decrease the risk of erectile dysfunction by riding a road bicycle instead of a mountain bicycle, keeping handlebar height lower than saddle height and using a saddle without a cut-out if perineal numbness is experienced.