When it comes to lifestyle choices, it’s a safe bet that anything that’s bad for your heart is also bad for your penis, according to Andrew McCullough, M.D., director of the male sexual health program at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. And diet is no exception.
Diets low in fruits and vegetables and high in processed foods that are fatty and/or fried impede healthy blood flow throughout the body, negatively impacting the heart and erectile function, according to WebMD. By contrast, the Mediterranean diet is heavily weighted toward fresh fruit and vegetables, red wine, whole grains, and heart-healthy fats such from fish, nuts, and olive oil. WebMD says studies have shown that the incidence of ED among men who follow the Mediterranean diet is very low.
A study published in the May 2010 issue of “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” looked specifically at the effects of adherence to the Mediterranean diet among a group of men diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a major risk factor for ED. The incidence of ED was significantly lower among test subjects who followed the Mediterranean diet most faithfully.