Olive Oil & Lemon Juice for Erectile Dysfunction

Can Olive Oil and Lemon Juice Treat Erectile Dysfunction (ED)? Did we read this right? That was the first thing that came to mind when our team came across the posts discussing the benefits of olive oil and lemon juice for men’s reproductive health. Well, our teammate’s grandma from a small village in the Middle East still believes that olive oil can cure anything, including cancer, and that it saves money in hospitals. ED is included into ‘anything’. But is this a hoax? How did this become a trending topic? Our team decided to look into this topic and discovered that the majority articles with such a title do not focus solely on lemon and olive oil, but rather a cuisine that has them as staples. Yes, we are talking about Mediterranean diet. So let’s dig in and see if it has any influence at all on erectile dysfunction.

What is a Mediterranean Diet?

As you can guess from the name, the Mediterranean Diet is a way of eating based on traditional dietary preferences of people leaving on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. This diet is well known around the world and is being studied for its health benefits by the researchers over the past decades. It is based on consumption of natural products, mainly plant-based, although it includes fish and small amounts of red meat.

The key components of such a diet include:

• Fresh seasonal fruits and veggies rich and vitamins and other micronutrients
• Whole grains rich with fiber and slow carbohydrates like wheat bread, brown rice, oats.
• Olive oil, avocados and nuts for healthy fats
• Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas) for plant-based protein
• Fish and seafood for Omega-3 and protein
• Moderate amounts of dairy products, mainly cheese and yogurt
• Small amounts of red meat

Apart from the products above, herbs and spices are used in copious amounts to make the food flavourful and reduce the need for salt.

Effects of the Mediterranean Diet on Erectile Dysfunction and Beyond

Erection is a complex physiological phenomenon that is triggered by arousal (or sometimes spontaneously) through a complex interplay of hormones. But if we boil it down to its core, erection is an inflow of blood to your penis. That means that problems with your cardiovascular system, like high blood pressure, can cause or exacerbate your ED, and ED itself can be an early symptom of underlying cardiovascular diseases. [1]

This is why a Mediterranean diet (or MedDiet for short) can be good for your health. Due to health benefits, the American Heart Association recommends to follow MedDiet if you want to maintain your heart and brain health. [2] Additionally, research shows that adherence to the MedDiet can help lower a patient’s blood pressure, which is crucial in all conditions related to that, including ED. [3, 4] Another health  benefit of such a diet is increased sensitivity to insulin. Insulin resistance can be one of the precursors for such conditions as diabetes and obesity, and multiple scientists endorse MedDiet as a way to alleviate them. [5, 6]

But what about the research of the influence of MedDiet specifically on ED? While the number of such studies is limited, all of them suggest that following such a healthy diet as mediterranean can contribute to treating ED. [7, 8] Mediterranean diet helps to keep the cells of your blood vessels in a healthier state and reduce the inflammatory markers, thus helping you to achieve an erection easier. [9] Additionally, having large amounts of fruit, veggies, and healthy fats in your diet can produce substances that protect your blood vessels against oxidative stress, help to generate more nitric oxide (that is an essential component for achieving erection) and has a positive effect on your gut bacteria, that are good for your digestion. [10, 11]

Lemon?

Citrus fruits like lemon and lime are a staples of the MedDiet, and there are additional benefits to it when we discuss ED. Whilst the research on the exact mechanisms of action of lemons and limes on erection is limited, taking lemon juice and lime juice together with the most known medications for ED like Sildenafil (active component of Viagra), can potentiate the effects of the latter. [12] However, we need to keep in mind that this study was done on rats, and the initial studies in men have questioned this notion. [13] The same study though found that Sevilla orange juice has moderate positive effect on the intake of sildenafil in healthy males.

Conclusion

While olive oil and lemon juice are popular in the headlines of articles about ED, the reality is more convoluted. On their own, these components are not able to miraculously make your erections stronger, but a healthier lifestyle and diet are. The Mediterranean diet is a great option for such a healthy diet and its benefits extend beyond just erectile dysfunction.

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References:

[1] Gandaglia G, Briganti A, Jackson G, Kloner RA, Montorsi F, Montorsi P, Vlachopoulos C. A systematic review of the association between erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. Eur Urol. 2014 May;65(5):968-78. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2013.08.023. Epub 2013 Aug 23. PMID: 24011423.

[2] https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/mediterranean-diet

[3] De Pergola G, D'Alessandro A. Influence of Mediterranean Diet on Blood Pressure. Nutrients. 2018 Nov 7;10(11):1700. doi: 10.3390/nu10111700. PMID: 30405063; PMCID: PMC6266047.

[4] Cowell OR, Mistry N, Deighton K, Matu J, Griffiths A, Minihane AM, Mathers JC, Shannon OM, Siervo M. Effects of a Mediterranean diet on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and observational studies. J Hypertens. 2021 Apr 1;39(4):729-739. doi: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000002667. PMID: 33060448.

[5] Mirabelli M, Chiefari E, Arcidiacono B, Corigliano DM, Brunetti FS, Maggisano V, Russo D, Foti DP, Brunetti A. Mediterranean Diet Nutrients to Turn the Tide against Insulin Resistance and Related Diseases. Nutrients. 2020 Apr 12;12(4):1066. doi: 10.3390/nu12041066. PMID: 32290535; PMCID: PMC7230471.

[6] Sood S, Feehan J, Itsiopoulos C, Wilson K, Plebanski M, Scott D, Hebert JR, Shivappa N, Mousa A, George ES, Courten B. Higher Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Is Associated with Improved Insulin Sensitivity and Selected Markers of Inflammation in Individuals Who Are Overweight and Obese without Diabetes. Nutrients. 2022 Oct 21;14(20):4437. doi: 10.3390/nu14204437. PMID: 36297122; PMCID: PMC9608711.

[7] Di Francesco S, Tenaglia RL. Mediterranean diet and erectile dysfunction: a current perspective. Cent European J Urol. 2017 Jun 30;70(2):185-187. doi: 10.5173/ceju.2017.1356. Epub 2017 Jun 11. PMID: 28721287; PMCID: PMC5510347.

[8] Bauer SR, Breyer BN, Stampfer MJ, Rimm EB, Giovannucci EL, Kenfield SA. Association of Diet With Erectile Dysfunction Among Men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Nov 2;3(11):e2021701. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.21701. PMID: 33185675; PMCID: PMC7666422.

[9] Esposito K, Ciotola M, Giugliano F, De Sio M, Giugliano G, D'armiento M, Giugliano D. Mediterranean diet improves erectile function in subjects with the metabolic syndrome. Int J Impot Res. 2006 Jul-Aug;18(4):405-10. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijir.3901447. Epub 2006 Jan 5. PMID: 16395320.

[10] Tosti V, Bertozzi B, Fontana L. Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet: Metabolic and Molecular Mechanisms. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018 Mar 2;73(3):318-326. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glx227. PMID: 29244059; PMCID: PMC7190876.

[11] Shannon OM, Stephan BCM, Minihane AM, Mathers JC, Siervo M. Nitric Oxide Boosting Effects of the Mediterranean Diet: A Potential Mechanism of Action. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018 Jun 14;73(7):902-904. doi: 10.1093/gerona/gly087. PMID: 29684102.

[12] Ademosun AO, Mohammed A, Oboh G, Ajeigbe OF. Influence of lemon (Citrus limon) and lime (Citrus aurantifolia) juices on the erectogenic properties of sildenafil in rats with L-NAME-induced erectile dysfunction. J Food Biochem. 2022 Feb;46(2):e14074. doi: 10.1111/jfbc.14074. Epub 2022 Jan 16. PMID: 35034363.

[13] Abdelkawy KS, Donia AM, Turner RB, Elbarbry F. Effects of Lemon and Seville Orange Juices on the Pharmacokinetic Properties of Sildenafil in Healthy Subjects. Drugs R D. 2016 Sep;16(3):271-278. doi: 10.1007/s40268-016-0140-1. PMID: 27550653; PMCID: PMC5045831.

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