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Sex

Eating Italian food stops impotence: professor

Patrick Browne
Patrick Browne - [email protected]
Eating Italian food stops impotence: professor
Couple photo: Shutterstock"

There may be some truth in the stereotypical image of Italian men as “Latin lovers” after leading scientists concluded that a Mediterranean diet leads to a more satisfying sex life.

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At least, these were the conclusions of the 21st National Italian Congress of Andrology (men's health), which concluded on Monday in Naples.

“Followers of a Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of impotence,” said Giorgio Franco, President of the Italian Society of Andrology, according to La Stampa.

As if we needed another excuse to gorge ourselves on pizza margherita and spaghetti carbonara, Franco went on to declare that “following a strict Italian diet can solve sexual dysfunction.”

Italy has one on the lowest rates of erectile dysfunction in Europe – the condition affects just three million unfortunate men across the peninsula. Meanwhile, statistics from Britain paint a much floppier picture, with the National Health Service (NHS) estimating that the condition affects half of all men between 40 and 70.

“Good sex starts at the table,” added Franco. “Statistics show that Italian people eat well. Our obesity rate is one of the lowest in the developed world.”

The Mediterranean diet is based around simple fresh foods and low in fat. It is high in essential omega 3 fatty acids, which keep dangerous, LDL cholesterol levels in check, leaving you raring to go.

It would seem that low obesity rates go hand in hand with low impotence. In the UK, 27 percent of the population is obese, a condition which affects sexual health and satisfaction.

An all-Italian pill

But it's not only diet affecting Italians' love lives. Italian men experiencing erectile dysfunction have increasingly turned to drugs to combat the problem too. The pill of choice on the peninsula is “Avanafil”, a drug developed in Italy.

Sales of Avanafil have boomed since launching in Italy in 2012. Around 600,000 men are thought to have switched to the drug after being left dissatisfied with other alternatives on the market.

Carlo Bettocchi, professor of Urology at the University of Bari, told the conference that the success was down to its rapid action, which allowed couples to enjoy a more spontaneous sex life.

Mr Bettocchi did knowledge however, that the pills' success could be about keeping the Italian end up in more ways than one, “without forgetting the pride people have for an effective product made in Italy,” he added.

 

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