Saturday is Valentine’s day and romance may well be in the air, but for some individuals anxiety surrounding lack of libido (a decrease in sex drive) or other sexual problems may well be shadowing any thoughts of enjoyment. Anxiety and stress in themselves can lead to lowered libido in women and erectile dysfunction in men. Relaxation techniques and a healthy, nutrient rich, diet low in processed foods can certainly help in this respect but there are also some more specific natural tips that may prove helpful for increasing sexual desire, responsiveness and function.
Sexual function and responsiveness, in men and women, are partly dependent on the supply of blood to the genital organs. Dilation, or relaxation, of blood vessels, allowing increased blood flow, depends on a substance called nitric oxide. The amino acid (the building blocks that form proteins) arginine is essential for the formation of nitric oxide in the body. Of course there are many psychological and physiological problems that can cause impotence or loss of libido, however trying to increase nitric oxide levels in the body could help some individuals who could particularly benefit from an increased blood flow to their sexual organs.
Arginine supplements may be helpful, they seem to work by causing an increase in the level of nitric oxide in the body and this has an effect by relaxing blood vessels, as mentioned above. This nitric oxide boosting mechanism is the same basic effect that the drug Viagra, used to treat (and prevent) erectile dysfunction, also has.
Women
A supplement containing arginine, multivitamins, and minerals and the herbs ginseng, ginkgo and damiana has shown benefit in women experiencing problems in their sex lives (1,2). The first (1) smaller study involved 77 women, 34 received the supplement and 43 received an inactive placebo. After 4 weeks, 73.5% of women taking the active supplement reported an improved satisfaction with their overall sex life. Notable improvements were also observed in sexual desire, reduction of vaginal dryness, frequency of sexual intercourse and orgasm, and clitoral sensation.
The second, more recent, study (2) with the same supplement was better designed. It was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 108 women, age 22-73 years, who reported a lack of sexual desire. 55 received the supplement and 53 received placebo. The results were measured via a medical questionnaire known as the Female Sexual Function Index and were notably different between women of different ages. Most improvements with the supplement were seen in premenopausal and perimenopausal women. After 4 weeks:
*Premenopausal women receiving the supplement reported significant improvements in their level of sexual desire and satisfaction with their overall sex life, compared with placebo group. Frequency of sexual desire and frequency of intercourse also increased among the premenopausal women taking the supplement.
*Among perimenopausal women (women transitioning into menopause) taking the supplement improvements were reported for frequency of intercourse, satisfaction with sexual relationship, and vaginal dryness compared with placebo group.
*Postmenopausal women primarily showed an increased in level of sexual desire.
Unlike hormone therapies the ingredients in the supplement used in these studies show no hormonal (oestrogenic) activity in the body and women may therefore prefer to speak to their doctors about using such supplements as an alternative for helping with their sexual problems.
How much of the effect in these studies was down to just the arginine is not known. The herbs (ginseng, ginkgo and damiana) present in the study have some evidence for improving blood flow and sexual function and the multivitamin and mineral component of the supplement may have been exerting an effect via correcting any nutrient shortfalls in the body. In light of the fact that arginine supplementation seems to improve male sexual dysfunction – women may wish to try supplementing 2,800-5,000mg of arginine daily in addition to eating a healthy balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits and healthy fats (and low in processed foods) to see if any improvement occurs.
Men
A man’s ability to attain and maintain an erection is partially dependent on the blood supply to the penis. Dilation and relaxation of blood vessels, which allows increased blood flow, necessary for an erection depends upon nitric oxide release in the body. As mentioned earlier the amino acid arginine is essential for the formation of nitric oxide. There have been a few studies (3,4,5) which have found that arginine supplementation can be helpful to men with erectile dysfunction. Improvements in sexual performance and the ability to maintain an erection as well as improvements in sexual satisfaction have been reported with arginine supplementation. Some men with erectile dysfunction may find it helpful to take an arginine supplement of around 2,800 – 5,000mg per day. Discussing this option with a health professional could prove very useful.
Is there something sexy about watermelon?
It is not really the season for watermelons but they have some relevance to the topic I am writing about today.
You may think that watermelon does not contain anything of significance, it’s only water right? Wrong! 92% of watermelon is indeed made up of water but the remaining 8% packs a hearty nutrition punch! Watermelon is a good source of flavonoids (naturally occurring plant chemicals with health benefits) and the carotenoids, lycopene and beta carotene. Watermelon also contains a little known nutrient called citrulline.
Citrulline is an amino acid that is converted within the body to arginine, which as we have just discovered may be helpful for improving libido and sexual function in men and women. The vegetable and Fruit Improvement Centre at Texas A&M Univerity, one of the leading research centres currently looking at the health benefits of watermelon, released a press article last year (6) with the title “Watermelon May Have Viagra Effect”. The science behind this comes from the blood vessel relaxing ability of nitric oxide as described above. Dr Patil, one of the researchers at the university said (6): “Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it. Watermelon may not be as organ specific as Viagra, but it’s a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side-effects.”
This all sounded very interesting to me but I wanted to see whether there was much evidence that eating watermelon actually increased levels of arginine in the body. A small study published in 2007 (7) confirmed that it could. The scientists involved wanted to investigate if consumption of watermelon juice increased concentrations of blood plasma arginine and citrulline in healthy adult humans. The study participants were given either 0, 780g, or 1560g of watermelon juice every day for 3 weeks. This represents around 1g and 2g of citrulline per day. Compared with those not receiving juice, blood plasma arginine concentrations increased 12% after 3 weeks of the lower-dose watermelon treatment and 22%, after 3 weeks of the higher-dose watermelon treatment. Citrulline concentrations did not increase relative to the control but remained stable throughout the study indicating that the citrulline from the watermelon was being effectively converted into arginine by the body. The authors concluded that “These results demonstrate that plasma concentration of arginine can be increased through intake of citrulline from watermelon”(7)
Watermelons are probably not readily available to buy at the moment so it may be a difficult food to include as part of a valentine meal. Citrulline is also found in garlic and onions, but these foods may seem a little less romantically appealing!
(1)Ito T. et al. 2001. A double-blind placebo-controlled study of ArginMax, a nutritional supplement for enhancement of female sexual function. J Sex Marital Ther. 27(5):541-549.
(2)Ito TY, Polan ML, Whipple B, Trant AS. 2006. The enhancement of female sexual function with ArginMax, a nutritional supplement, among women differing in menopausal status. J Sex Marital Ther. 32(5):369-78.
(3)Chen J et al. 1999. Effect of oral administration of high-dose nitric oxide donor L-arginine in men with organic erectile dysfunction: results of a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. British Journal of Urology. 83:269-273
(4)Ito T et al. 1998. The effects of ArginiMax, a natural dietary supplement for enhancement of male sexual function. Hawaii Med Journal. 57(12):741-744.
Monograph (no author listed). 1998. Methylcobalamin. Altern Med Rev. 3(6):461-3.
(5)Zorgniotti A et al. 1994. Effect of large doses of the nitric oxide precursor, L-arginine, on erectile dysfunction. Int J Impotence Res. 6(1):33-36
(6)T he vegetable and Fruit Improvement Centre at Texas A&M Univerity press release
(7)Collins JK et al. 2007. Watermelon consumption increases plasma arginine concentrations in adults. Nutrition. 2007. 23(3):261-6.
Written by Ani Kowal
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