The sex amino acid

Jun 13, 2007 20:06 GMT  ·  By

"You are what you eat." In the sexual domain, that should be taken literally.

The right nutrients boost the sex machine in your body. Minerals like zinc, iron, copper and manganese are essential for sexual performances, that's why food that contains them works quite well. But the L-Arginine - an amino acid which abounds in some foods - is also extremely important.

This molecule is a precursor of the nitric oxide, which opens the penile vessels to be flooded with blood to get the erection state. No nitric oxide, no erection.

A new review of dozens of researches confirms that L-Arginine relaxes the muscles in the penis, raising the blood flow. The blood circulation and flow determine what defines an erection: frequency, size and hardness.

L-Arginine was also found to stimulate the pituitary and thymus glands, whose secretions are involved in regulating the sperm production, so this amino acid, besides boosting sexual capacities in males, also raises their fertility.

The body can produce some quantity of L-Arginine, but this varies from person to person and some people fail to produce the right amounts.

In a double-blind approach made at the University of Chicago, 31% of the men offered L-Arginine pills reported a highly improved sexual performance. These subjects presented low amounts of nitric oxide at the beginning of the trial.

Besides sexual effects, L-Arginine also increases muscle mass, regulates blood pressure, and improves immune activity. Those proposing the L-Arginine say that the amino acid must be consumed 45 minutes before having sex, so that it can reach the maximum effect.

If you do not want to use supplements, arginine can be also ingested from foods that contain it in abundance, like spinach, seaweed, crustaceans (lobster, crab and shrimp), salmon, soy protein isolate, turkey, chicken breast, chocolate. In some conditions, L-Arginine or amino acids should be avoided... so pay a visit to your doctor, before taking L-Arginine and rushing to bed.