We all know nutrition is important. We literally are what we eat. I recently attended a nutritional seminar and the underlying point was pretty obvious — many of our diseases and other health concerns are due to our poor nutritional choices, as well as the additives that go into our processed foods today.
One component of nutrition that was focused upon was flavonoids. Flavonoids are the nutrients responsible for the color in our fruits. They make blueberries blue and raspberries red. Most importantly, flavonoids have excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Now, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found a diet rich in these high-flavonoid fruits can help decrease the risk of erectile dysfunction.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of East Anglia and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, takes the application of these powerful foods one step farther than before.
“We already knew that intake of certain foods high in flavonoids may reduce the risk of conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” said lead author Aedin Cassidy in a press release, as reported by Fox News. “This is the first study to look at the association between flavonoids and erectile dysfunction, which affects up to half of all middle-aged and older men.
It was found that men who regularly ate foods high in flavonoids, even just a few times per week, were 14 percent less likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction. The researchers focused on the top five sources of flavonoids (anthocyanins, flavones, and flavanones):
- Strawberries,
- Blueberries,
- Red wine,
- Apples/pears, and
- Citrus
More than 50,000 middle-aged and older men were surveyed about their sexual health and their diet, since 1986. Physical activities were also taken into consideration, including: physical activity, body weight, caffeine intake, and smoking habits. They found that more than 1/3 of the men surveyed suffered from some level of erectile dysfunction. However, those who had a high-fruit based diet demonstrated a lower rate of ED.
“Erectile dysfunction is often an early barometer of poor vascular function and offers a critical opportunity to intervene and prevent cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and even death,” said senior study author Eric Rimm, in a release. “Men with erectile dysfunction are likely to be highly motivated to make healthier lifestyle choices, such as exercising more and eating the right foods — which would greatly benefit their long-term cardiovascular health as well.”
Learn more about erectile dysfunction, and what you can do to improve your ED – Need an Erectile Dysfunction Cure? Never Suffer from Impotence Again