One more reason to consume Mediterranean-style diet. Apart from helping the heart, the high-fruit, low-red-meat diet can also improve sexual function in women with the metabolic syndrome, an Italian study says.
Among the 59 women subjects, 31 out of them were assigned to the Mediterranean-style diet and 28 to the control diet. After 2 years, women on the Mediterranean diet consumed more fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grain and olive oil as compared with the women on the control diet.
As a result, female sexual function index improved in the intervention group, from a mean basal value of 19.7 +/- 3.1 to a mean post-treatment value of 26.1 +/- 4.1, and remained stable in the control group. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly reduced in the intervention group (C-reactive protein is produced by the liver; the level of CRP rises when there is body-wide inflammation).
No single sexual domain (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, pain) was significantly improved by the dietary treatment, suggesting that the whole female sexuality may find benefit from lifestyle changes. The researchers conclude that a Mediterranean-style diet might be effective in improving sexual function in women with metabolic syndrome.
