Cigarettes were also could shorten the size of the penis, in addition to several other diseases caused by smoking such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, as well as erectile dysfunction or impotence.
This finding is based on the results of a study conducted by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine on 200 male participants who were smokers. From the results of the study, smokers had an average of 1 cm shortening of the penis.
“This is the largest-ever study of smoking-related sexual sensitivity,” said Dr. Pedram Salimpour, one of the researchers, as reported by the Guardian, Friday (27/08/2010).
According to Dr. Salimpour the negative effect of smoking on the penis is as well as the influence of smoking on the liver. This is damage to blood vessels, which makes blood flow obstructed.
Basically this is the effect of elastin, the protein of connective tissue which is elastic and allows tissues in the body to get back into shape after stretching or contraction. In this case, elastin affects the ability of penile erection.
Dr. Salimpour explains, elastin, such as rubber that can stretch. This is what happens to the penis as a result of increased blood flow.
Smoking can damage the body’s ability to do that, so that could affect the size of the penis and erectile ability. But investigators could not determine how many cigarettes can damage the elastin and shorten the size of the penis.
“This still requires further study, but it looks like the dangers of smoking are more susceptible to the penis rather than the heart,” explained Dr. Salimpour.
According to him, this is because the blood vessel in the penis is much smaller than the blood vessels in the liver. Blood vessels in the liver measuring 1.5 mm while the penile blood vessels 1 mm or smaller sized exactly 0.5 mm.
Not only had the active smokers, Dr. Salimpour also explained that there is a possibility that the same may also occur in passive smokers. But it still needs further study.
“Although the tobacco industry insisted its products, but the scientific facts against all that,” said Dr. Salimpour.
