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Health

Tomatoes and Olive Oil May Reduce Impotence

By Julie Butler
Apr. 9, 2012 21:23 UTC
Summary Summary

A study con­ducted by the Madrid Urological Institute found that a daily com­bi­na­tion of extra vir­gin olive oil and lycopene from toma­toes improved erec­tile dys­func­tion in men over 50. The vasodila­tory effect of lycopene, which improves blood flow, was attrib­uted to the improved erec­tions seen in the par­tic­i­pants who con­sumed the olive oil and lycopene mix­ture.


Oven Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil Courtesy of Honest Cooking

A daily dose of extra vir­gin olive oil com­bined with lycopene from toma­toes improved the sex lives of a group of Spanish men, the Madrid Urological Institute reported.

In a study involv­ing 40 men — aged above 50 and with mild to mod­er­ate degrees of erec­tile dys­func­tion — half of those with mild prob­lems reported improved erec­tions after tak­ing 20ml of organic extra vir­gin olive oil mixed with 8mg of tomato lycopene every day for three months, it said in a press release.

According to the institute’s direc­tor, urol­o­gist Dr. Juan Carlos Ruiz de la Roja, the sci­en­tific expla­na­tion is very sim­ple. ​“Lycopene has been shown to have a vasodila­tory effect due to the lib­er­a­tion of nitric oxide, which improves blood flow over­all, includ­ing to the penis, thus improv­ing erec­tion.”

Ruiz de la Roja told Olive Oil Times that recent research had also shown that the antiox­i­dant effect of the lycopene found in toma­toes played a pro­tec­tive role in rela­tion to prostate can­cer, one of the most com­mon can­cers in men.

Lycopene, a carotene, is also found in other red fruits and veg­eta­bles such as red car­rots, water­mel­ons and papayas. Its absorp­tion into the blood from the diges­tive sys­tem is improved in the pres­ence of oil, which is a key rea­son the extra vir­gin olive oil was included.

Ruiz de la Roja said Aceiterol, a new prod­uct that com­bines extra vir­gin olive oil with lycopene, was used in the study. The prod­uct maker, Dieta Mediterránea Aceites y Vinagres (Mediterranean Diet Olive Oils and Vinegars), had donated the Aceiterol but no financ­ing for the study, which was pri­vately funded by the insti­tute, he said.

Once again, research had con­firmed the health ben­e­fits of the Mediterranean Diet, he said.

The insti­tute says that about 30 per­cent of men aged over 50 expe­ri­ence impo­tence.


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