Blood pressure pills do not cause impotence, experts have revealed.

A new study has quashed fears that a side effect of life-saving statins and blood pressure pills is going floppy in bed .

But a new Canadian study reassuringly found the drugs to treat cardiovascular risk factors do not cause impotence .

Men treated for cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol are at increased risk of developing erectile dysfunction and often consider this as a side effect of their medications.

But the study found statins, blood pressure lowering pills or a combination of the two "do not improve or adversely affect erectile function."

Researchers at McMaster University in Ontario said the finding was important as doctors can reassure patients their erectile dysfunction was almost certainly not related to these medications, which have been well-shown to prevent major complications of heart disease.

This should enable GPs to encourage their patients to continue to take them.

Doctors can now reassure patients that blood pressure pills and statins present no link to erectile dysfunction

The study found cholesterol-lowering statin candesartan and blood-pressure lowering hydrochlorothiazide or HCTZ do not negatively affect erectile function.

Assistant Professor of Medicine Dr Philip Joseph said: "Previous research suggests that cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol increase the risk of erectile dysfunction, but there has been little research examining whether modifying these risk factors can impact its development.

"It is unclear whether modifying cholesterol, blood pressure, or both affect erectile dysfunction.

"Also, there are concerns that erectile dysfunction is worsened by common medications used to treat these risk factors."

The study evaluated the consequences of cholesterol lowering with a statin, pharmacologic blood pressure reduction, and a combination of the two, on erectile function.

It was a substudy of the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation - 3 (HOPE-3) randomised controlled trial, a 2x2 factorial randomized controlled trial testing candesartan/HCTZ versus placebo, rosuvastatin versus placebo, and the combination of these medications versus double placebo.

Erectile function was measured using a questionnaire completed by 2,153 men with a mean age of 61.5 at the beginning of the study and again at a mean follow-up of 5.8 years.

The questionnaire assesses five domains of erectile dysfunction over the previous four-week period.

During the study, none of the treatment groups were associated with a significant change in erectile function when compared to their respective placebo groups.

Neither blood pressure lowering with candesartan/HCTZ nor cholesterol lowering with a statin showed an impact on erectile function.

Importantly, taking these medications were not associated with the development of erectile dysfunction.

Prof Joseph added: "This study shows that lowering these critically important cardiac risk factors using these medications has little impact on changes in erectile function

"Men who develop erectile dysfunction while on such medications commonly attribute their symptoms to the medications.

"Our findings suggest that these two medications do not negatively impact erectile function, which should be reassuring to men who are taking them."

Commenting on the findings in an editorial Professor of Cardiology Dr John Mancini at the University of British Columbia, Canada, said: "Patients who express concern about erectile dysfunction should be reassured about the lack of impact with statins or the combination of angiotensin receptor blocker/thiazide.

"But, perhaps more importantly, they need to be assessed more comprehensively and directed to and/or instructed in the safe use of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors when appropriate and when nitrates are not being used.

"The current study provides strong motivation for cardiologists to develop confidence and competence in the overlap between quality of life as reflected by male sexual health and reduction of cardiovascular risk."

Erectile dysfunction affects about two fifths of men over 50 years old and is more common in men with cardiovascular risk factors.

The study was published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.