Originally posted by kops21:
Oysters May Be an
Aphrodisiac After All
But one expert says their power in the
bedroom not proven yet
[b]By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, March 16 (HealthDayNews) -- Throughout the ages, foods
such as asparagus, almonds, avocado, bananas, basil, chocolate,
eggs, figs, foie gras and, of course, raw oysters have been touted
as aphrodisiacs.
But in the age of Viagra, the scientific community considers these
claims to be nothing more than wishful thinking. All these foods
can be part of a fabulous meal, but the aftereffect is more likely
to be weight gain and the need for a nap than a night of rapturous
lovemaking.
However, a new study by American and Italian chemists claims that
as far as oysters, clams and mussels are concerned, the ancient
claim may be true. Their finding was presented March 16 at the
American Chemical Society annual meeting in San Diego.
"The supposition for centuries was that oysters, clams and mussels
have been thought to have aphrodisiac properties," said researcher
George Fisher, a professor of chemistry from Barry University, in
Miami Shores, Fla. "And they were eaten raw for that
purpose."
Until recently, there was no scientific basis for that belief,
Fisher added. But what he and his colleagues have discovered is
that mussels, clams and oysters contain compounds that have been
shown to be effective in releasing sexual hormones such as
testosterone and estrogen. These compounds are D-aspartic acid and
NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate).
"We found there might be a scientific basis for the aphrodisiac
properties of these mollusks," Fisher said.
Not so fast, says food myth expert Dr. Robert H. Shmerling, an
associate professor of medicine from Harvard Medical School. "The
findings are certainly interesting, but we still have a ways to go
before saying that there is scientific evidence that clams, oysters
and scallops boost libido," he said.
Shmerling asks this: When D-aspartic acid and NMDA are digested, do
they still lead to sex hormone release? And do they release enough
estrogen or testosterone to matter?
"Testosterone is thought to play a more major role in libido in men
and women than estrogen alone; in fact, estrogen release could
reduce libido in women. And while it's hard to predict what, if
anything, mollusk-induced estrogen release would do in men, it
probably would not increase sex drive," Shmerling said.
In addition, Shmerling wonders if animal studies linking D-aspartic
acid and NMDA to the release of sex hormones is even relevant to
humans.
"This is a good example of the headlines getting well ahead of the
science," Shmerling said. "It will take much more compelling
evidence -- with human subjects -- to prove a link between seafood
and libido."
[/b]
yah....ZMA the A means aspartate...so u see. Zinc is very
important for libido. i taking ZMA to replenish zinc as if u do
sports/gym, ur zinc level depreciates very fast.
somemore, gives u vivid dreams...but not wet dreams lah....no
joke...u wake up in the morning feeling fresh although u sleep for
a few hrs niah.
if u are a man, can't sleep then go take ZMA. woman also can....and
its good for health. Zinc+Magnesium, dats wats in ZMA.
