A recent Turkish study found that men with erectile dysfunction (ED) who added pistachios to their diet saw improvement in erectile function.
This study supports the growing body of evidence on the health benefits of pistachios, including heart and blood vessel health, weight management and blood sugar control.
“Pistachios have been considered an aphrodisiac in some folklore,” said Dr Thomas Hopkins, MD, internal medicine specialist and former member of the National Advisory Panel for Erectile Dysfunction.
“To my knowledge, this is the first study that lends support for this belief. We know that pistachios can improve blood cholesterol levels and can be part of a successful weight management program. Men, especially, may want to consider substituting pistachios for other snack foods.”
The study, which was conducted by Dr Altamira at Atatürk Teaching and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, and published in The International Journal of Impotence Research, consisted of 17 married men (ranging from 38–59 years of age) who had experienced ED for at least 12 months.
All patients were evaluated using medical history and sexual history with the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), a physical examination and routine blood analysis. Each man ate 100g- about 3.5oz of pistachio nuts per day for three weeks. The subjects were asked to maintain their regular daily dietary intake, physical activity and other lifestyle habits.
Study participants saw a significant improvement on IIEF scores, which measure such things as orgasmic function, sexual desire and sexual intercourse satisfaction. There was also improvement in penile ultrasound measures, but the difference was not statistically significant. Participants also had a significant reduction in total blood cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, and a significant increase in HDL (good) cholesterol.
The authors speculate that several attributes of pistachios may have contributed to both the erectile function and blood lipid improvements, including their healthy fats, natural plant sterols, protein, fibre and antioxidants.
Pistachio nuts are a natural health food, full of nutrients. The US Food and Drug Administration recognises that tree nuts, including pistachios, can be part of a heart-healthy diet. Pistachios have more nuts per serving, 49, than any other tree nut, and contain only 160 calories in this serving size.
Source: American Pistachios
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