By David Liu, PHD

Thursday Jan 10, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Men with diabetes mellitus who also suffer erectile dysfunction are more likely to have diabetic retinopathy, compared with those diabetes patients without ED,  according to a study published in the Chinese Journal ZhongHua Nan Ke Xue (Chinese Male Sexuality).

The study conducted by X. P. Jiang from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China was intended to investigate the relationship of erectile dysfunction (ED) with type 2 diabetes mellitus in young and middle-aged men.

For the study, 53 male diabetes mellitus type 2 patients younger than 50 years were divided into two groups, one with ED and the other without.   No significant differences were found between the two groups in age, diabetes duration, body mass index, blood pressure and blood lipid profile and glucose levels.

However, diabetic retinopathy was found in 39.3% of those who had both diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction, compared to 4.0% in those who had diabetes mellitus only.

The researchers concluded "The incidence of ED is closely related to DR (diabetic retinopathy) in young and middle-aged men with T2DM (type 2 diabetes mellitus). Therefore particular attention should be paid to the erectile function of T2DM patients with DR as early as possible."

Type 2 diabetes mellitus affects an estimated 25 million Americans.  There is no cure for the disease, doctors say, but the disease can be treated and controlled.   Recent studies suggest type 2 diabetes mellitus can be easily cured by taking prebiotics and probiotics supplements to eliminate some endotoxin-producing bacteria in gut microflora.