(Health.com) -- Middle-aged men who take steps to improve their heart health by eating better, getting more exercise, or taking cholesterol-lowering drugs may end up improving their sex lives as well, according to a new analysis of existing research. 

Nearly 1 in 5 men in the U.S. has difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection, a condition known as erectile dysfunction (ED). The new study, which appears this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, suggests that ED drugs such as Viagra aren't the only solution and aren't always enough to address the problem, says coauthor Dr. Stephen Kopecky, M.D., a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. 

"If you do take care of your lifestyle—eating right, exercising, losing weight—you respond much better to the Viagra, the Levitra, the Cialis," Kopecky says. By the same token, he adds, if these drugs become less effective "that should be a sign that...you need to take care of your lifestyle.'" 

Health.com: 7 ways to treat erectile dysfunction 

ED is troubling enough by itself, but to make matters worse it's also a known harbinger of heart disease. The arteries in the penis that expand during an erection can become weakened and clogged with cholesterol in the same way as the arteries that surround the heart. This is why ED often shows up three to five years ahead of life-threatening cardiovascular problems such as heart attack or stroke, especially in younger men, Kopecky says. 

"The common denominator is blood flow," he explains. "If you look at a guy in his 40s who has erectile dysfunction and then you compare [him] to another guy in his 40s who doesn't have erectile dysfunction, the guy with ED is about 50 times more likely to have heart disease." 
Do many men have difficulty with erections?
how many?
does it have a name?
what?
Are drugs like viagra the only solution?
who says this?
who is?
where?
What should it tell you if these drugs are less effective?
What could this include?
ED is a known harbinger for what?
what can the arteries become clogged with?
Where does this  study appear?
What are some ED drugs?
any others?
any other ED drugs?
Who is 50 times more likely to have heart disease?
Where is the MAyo clinic?
What is the common denominator?
What becomes weakened when arteries expand?
yes
Nearly 1 in 5 men in the U.S. has difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection
Nearly 1 in 5
Nearly 1 in 5 men in the U.S. has difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection,
yes
condition known as erectile dysfunction (ED).
erectile dysfunction (ED
a condition known as erectile dysfunction (ED
no
The new study, which appears this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, suggests that ED drugs such as Viagra aren't the only solution
Dr. Stephen Kopecky
Dr. Stephen Kopecky, M.D., a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. 
cardiologist
Dr. Stephen Kopecky, M.D., a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. 

at Mayo Clinic
a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. 
that you need to take care of your lifestyle.'"
that should be a sign that...you need to take care of your lifestyle.'" 
eating right, exercising, losing weight
If you do take care of your lifestyle—eating right, exercising, losing weight—you respond much better to the Viagra
heart disease
ED is troubling enough by itself, but to make matters worse it's also a known harbinger of heart disease
cholesterol
he arteries in the penis that expand during an erection can become weakened and clogged with cholesterol in the same way as the arteries that surround the hear
Archives of Internal Medicine
he new study, which appears this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine
Viagra
ED drugs such as Viagra
cholesterol-lowering drugs
cholesterol-lowering drugs may end up improving their sex lives as well
Levitra
iagra, the Levitra, the Cialis
the guy with ED
the guy with ED is about 50 times more likely to have heart disease."
Rochester, Minnesota.
the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. 
blood flow
The common denominator is blood flow
the arteries in the penis
he arteries in the penis that expand during an erection can become weakened and clogged