Food Can't Satisfy Our Sexual Appetites
by Daniel Bubbeo

Legend has it that Casanova ate 50 raw oysters every morning in his bathtub because he believed the zinc contained in oysters would sharply boost his testosterone level. Unfortunately, Casanova's oysterfest is probably just that — a legend.

While it's true that zinc is an important ingredient in testosterone production, the belief that oysters or other sexy foods such as honey, ginger, caviar, basil, or tomatoes — also known as "the love apple" — can enhance one's sexual libido seems like the stuff dreams are made of.

"Oysters, fruits, and vegetables all have claims that they can boost sexual performance, but there has been nothing written to support those claims," says Dr. E. Douglas Whitehead, director of the Association of Male Sexual Dysfunction, in Greenwich Village, N.Y.

Apparently, the doctor is not alone in his views. The Society of Human Sexuality in Seattle likewise found no evidence that aphrodisiacs exist.

Equally skeptical is Dr. Frank Farinella, a doctor of nutrition and industrial toxicology, who labeled these food falsehoods, appropriately, as "baloney."

Pass Me the Tabasco Sauce

"Most of the sex act begins in the mind. Sex is mostly a function revolving around time, opportunity, mood. And novelty has a lot to do with it. There really are no aphrodisiacs," says Farinella, owner of Total Nutrition Services in Stewart Manor, N.Y. "The only foods that might have an effect on sexual performance are hot, spicy foods. For example, chili peppers, which produce redness, can bring the blood to a certain area and act as an aphrodisiac. But putting candles on the table or a man shaving or a woman's perfume are more important for a romantic mood."

Still, Farinella says, for some people, the fact that such foods have not been clinically proven to increase sexual energy is a moot point. "It's the placebo effect. It's all in their mind that oysters will make them sexier. If that's what they want to believe, then they're going to think it will work for them. It's all psychological," he says.

Although both doctors say foods can't necessarily serve as an appetizer to lovemaking, Whitehead contends that eating foods low in fat content can be conducive to reducing male impotence.

"If you want to prevent impotence, stay away from all foods that are bad for the heart, because anything that clogs the arteries to the heart will also then clog blood flowing to the penis," he says. "Anything that's bad for the heart is bad for the penis."

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