The report estimates 120,000 men in Britain are impotent as a direct result of their habit and says a recent MORI poll showed 88 percent of smokers do not know the sexual risks they are taking. Both groups are urging the British government and the European Union to add new warnings on cigarette packets saying smoking causes impotence and can damage sperm. The damage smoking causes is cumulative. Years of smoking make it difficult for men to achieve or sustain an erection. Teenage smokers who can't kick the habit could be impotent by the time they reach their 30s or 40s.
Smoking causes a buildup of fatty deposits in delicate blood vessels.
But instead of blocking blood flow to the heart, as in the case of heart disease, it stops the supply to the penis. Nicotine can also cause rapid contractions in penile tissue or damage a valve mechanism that traps blood in the penis. Research studies have shown that smoking can increase the chances of becoming impotent by 50 percent and can also compound other risk factors for erectile dysfunction. Hormone abnormalities, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, strokes and kidney and liver problems can cause impotence.