Men participating in a clinical trial who added two handfuls of nuts a day to their regular diet reported improvements in sexual function.
The recent analysis uses the same trial data but focuses on the effect of nut consumption on sexual and erectile function. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which is one of the National Institutes of Health , ED is common in the United States, where it affects about 30 million men.
An erection depends on a complex interaction between nerve cells and blood vessels. The process also requires the presence of nitric oxide , a compound that helps muscle tissue in the penis produce and relax an erection.