Sexy Oysters: No Myth, They Really Do Pack a Wallop

Casanova, the legendary 18^th century Italian lover purportedly ate 50 oysters for breakfast each morning to guarantee his sexual prowess. Modern science calls that a super smart move for a man whose posthumously published autobiography, “The Story of My Life,” boasted of sexual encounters with 116 named women and thousands more across Europe.

Casanova was operating on instinct and the age-old belief in aphrodisiacs substances named for Aphrodite the Greek Goddess of love that are said to increase one’s libido, sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior.

In most cases, the magic is and always has been in the mind (and the partner). Oysters are rich in zinc which preserves sexual health by maintaining testosterone levels. While clearly linked to the male libido, zinc may also influence females whose ovaries produce very small amounts of testosterone due to the X girls inherit from their father’s side. A single oyster contains 5.5 milligrams (mg), half the RDA (recommended daily amount) for men and more than half for women. Recent studies suggest that zinc may also help to support levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of pleasure and reward whose presence increases with the anticipation of joy.

There’s even more to the mineral. Professors at Iran’s University of Mazandaran were the first to zero in on two important zinc compounds. According to George Fisher, professor of chemistry at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, his teammates, graduate student, Raul Mirza. and Antimo D’Aniello of the Laboratory of Neurobiology in Naples, the magic duo are rare amino acids not commonly found in any food other than mollusks.

“They are not the normal amino acids that Mother Nature uses,” Fisher says. “You can’t just find them in a vitamin shop.” Because zinc is not stored in the body, to get them it must be on the menu every day, i.e. like Casanova’s breakfast bivalves.

Seafood, including oysters, is a also good source of omega-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which several studies hint may help to improve sexual performance, an effect arising from the fats’ ability to protect the cardiovascular system.

Omega-3s are anti inflammatories which protect the cardiovascular system and reduce the risk of heart attack by improving blood flow in the blood vessels. As such, ten years ago, a trial with rats at the University of Monastir in Tunisia demonstrated that they could theoretically affect erectile function by lowering oxidative stress ( the imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants that can damage cells), reducing muscle and blood vessel damage that restricts blood flow to the genitals.

One year later, a similar study suggested that omega-3 might even have an aphrodisiac effect and improve sexual performance for those suffering from erectial dysfunction linked to diabetes.

And as Casanova figured out a few hundred years ago, oysters are a natural way to deliver a lot of the ingredients needed to keep up a steamy love life.