Researchers observed a significant increase in erectile function after the consumption of 60 g/day of nuts, according to a recent study published in the journal Nutrients that was partially supported by the International Nut & Dried Fruit Council (INC).
 
Lifestyle risk factors such as smoking or stress may influence erectile dysfunction through the vascular and nervous system. This study explored the effects of nut supplementation on erectile function.
 
Forty-three healthy males, aged 18-35, were assigned to a "nut group" and consumed the usual Western-style diet supplemented with 60 g/day of raw mixed nuts (30 g of walnuts, 15 g of almonds, and 15 g of hazelnuts); and 40 participants were assigned to a "control group" and they followed the usual Western-style diet but avoided nut consumption during the 14-week follow-up. Levels of nitric oxide and E-selectin (two biomarkers of erectile endothelial function) were measured. Participants also completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire, which evaluated the influence of nuts on erectile function through 15 questions.
 
The results of the questionnaire observed a significant increase in some of the erectile function parameters in the nut-supplemented group. The study, conducted by Albert Salas-Huetos and led by Mònica Bulló from Rovira i Virgili University in Spain, concluded that a Western-style diet supplemented with mixed nuts may help to improve erectile function.
 
"This is the largest randomized clinical trial to date analyzing the effect of nut supplementation on erectile and sexual function in subjects without erectile dysfunction," said Bulló.