Better hold off on smoking a cigarette after sex: a new study finds that smokers face an increased risk of erectile dysfunction, and sexual problems are greater among those who smoke more, Reuters reported Sept. 26.

Researcher Jiang He of Tulane University School of Public Health and colleagues reported that male smokers had a 41-percent greater risk of erectile dysfunction than nonsmokers. Among men who smoked up to 10 cigarettes per day, risk increased 27 percent; risk rose 45 percent among those who smoked 11 to 20 cigarettes daily, and those who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day or more were 65 percent more likely to have erectile problems.

"The association between cigarette smoking and erectile dysfunction was found in earlier studies," said He. "However, most of those studies were conducted in patients with hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and cardiovascular disease. What distinguishes this study is that it is the first to find this association among healthy men."

"This study really has a strong message for young men," He added. "It may get their attention if they know that smoking is associated with erectile dysfunction -- even in the healthy population."

The research was published in the Oct. 1, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.