Amidst debates of whether cycling affects male private parts, science has given green signal to male cyclists, saying riding a bike does not damage men's reproductive parts. The findings were revealed in a study by the University of California. More than 4,000 cyclists, swimmers and runners were closely observed before researched contradicted popular belief that few sports can cause erectile dysfunction and urinary infections.
In the study, researchers pointed out that cyclists have similar sexual and urinary health as swimmers and runners. Moreover, in some cases, it was observed that the former has actually better erectile function than the later ones.
Participants of the survey were divided into two groups: high-intensity cyclists and low-intensity cyclists. While the high-intensity group included athletes who cycle more than three times per week average 25 miles, the low-intensity group included everyone who fell below that criteria.
Types of bikes, the seat type, seat angle, handlebar height, the type of gear worn and time spend on standing instead of sitting on the bike were all taken into consideration.
Researchers found that though some cyclists showed narrowing of the urethra caused by injury or infection, reproductive health was not affected in any case, rather some high-intensity cyclists had a better erectile function.
It was also noticed that the bike type doesn't affect the riders' health, however, the likelihood of genital numbness was reduced for those who stood more than 20 percent of the time when cycling.
On the other hand, lowering the handlebar below the seat while cycling caused numbness and soreness.
Dr Benjamin Breyer, the lead author of the study believes that the results will be encouraging for cyclists. He also mentions that cycling provides tremendous cardiovascular benefits and keeps joints healthy.
So dear cyclists, worry not and take the long-due cycling trip.
