Efficacy of lifestyle interventions in treating erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of...

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is increasingly recognized as a marker of vascular and metabolic health, but the overall effect of lifestyle intervention on erectile function remains uncertain.

To evaluate the efficacy of diet- and/or exercise-based lifestyle interventions for improving erectile function in men with ED.

PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to December 2025 for randomized controlled trials evaluating lifestyle interventions in adult men with ED. Eligible studies compared exercise-only, diet-only, or combined diet-and-exercise interventions with usual care, standard treatment, or no intervention. The primary analysis assessed change in erectile function using validated International Index of Erectile Function. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane tool, certainty of evidence with GRADE, and pooled mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed- or random-effects models. Prespecified subgroup analyses were performed according to intervention type, intervention duration, age, body mass index, and supervision status, with exploratory analyses by exercise modality and baseline ED severity. Sensitivity analyses included leave-one-out analysis and exclusion of diet-only trials.

The primary outcome was change in erectile function score after lifestyle intervention.

Sixteen randomized controlled trials involving 1477 participants were included. Lifestyle interventions were associated with a statistically significant improvement in erectile function compared with control conditions (MD 2.35; 95% CI 1.68-3.01; I2 = 53%). Significant improvements were observed in diet-only, exercise-only, and combined diet-and-exercise subgroups, with no statistically significant subgroup differences. Exploratory analyses suggested generally favorable effects across exercise modalities and baseline severity categories, although no clear superiority of any specific modality or subgroup was identified. Significant improvements were also observed across intervention duration, age, body mass index, and supervision categories. Sensitivity analyses did not materially alter the overall findings, and the certainty of evidence was rated as moderate.

Lifestyle intervention may serve as a useful adjunctive nonpharmacological strategy in the management of ED.

This study synthesizes randomized evidence across dietary, exercise-based, and combined interventions, but interpretation is limited by clinical heterogeneity, inconsistent reporting of ED etiology and baseline severity, variation in intervention design and adherence, and the inclusion of some mixed clinical populations.

Diet- and/or exercise-based lifestyle interventions are associated with a modest but significant improvement in erectile function, although further large-scale and methodologically standardized trials are needed to clarify optimal strategies and long-term effects.