Not eating much fruit? If you are a middle-aged man, you may want to change your habits.
According to a post on havard.health.edu, a study published in The American Journal of Nutrition has concluded that a diet higher in flavonoids can help lower the risk of developing erectile dysfunction.
Flavonoids are nutrients found in fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, citrus fruit, grapes, apples, and pears.
Of all the existing flavonoids, anthocyanins, flavanones, and flavones where found to be the best.
According to the study’s lead author, Dr. Aedin Cassidy, professor of nutrition at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, England, eating more of these fruits can really be of benefit to men.
“Adding a few more portions of these fruits to your diet…can help prevent cardiovascular disease, and ED (erectile dysfunction) is often an early barometer of poor vascular function,” she said.
What was the study comprised of? Researchers had more than 50,000 men participate and they found that when participants consumed at least three portions of flavonoid-rich foods per week, on average, they were 10% less likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.
Why these fruits can make a difference is not immediately known but research has shown that some flavonoids work to make arteries more flexible, increasing blood flow in the body.
According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 18 million men are affected by erectile dysfuntion in the U.S., with many of those being over 40.
So, sounds like a good time for some preventive fruit salad, twenty-somethings.
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