A major new study of American males suggests regular exercise and a healthy diet may help banish impotence and the heart disease that often accompanies it.

"Lifestyle intervention, such as exercise and diet, may be an effective treatment for Erectile Dysfunction," said study author Elizabeth Selvin, a research fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

"Erectile Dysfunction varies by age, with 5 percent of men aged 20 to 40 having ED, to 70 percent of men 70 and older," she noted. In fact, the study suggests that about 18 million American men are affected by erectile difficulties.

Erectile Dysfunction is especially prevalent among men with high blood pressure, diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors, Selvin said. Her team collected data on ED from more than 2,200 adult men, all participants in the U.S. federal government's 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

"The results suggest that in men with Erectile Dysfunction, screening for cardiac risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension may be warranted," Selvin said. "The converse [is also true], that screening for ED in men with hypertension or diabetes should be considered," she added. In fact, she said, "we found ED in 50 percent of men with type 2 diabetes” (Elizabeth Selvin, a research fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore).