Some time ago, one of the women on the list asked whether anyone had any
information regarding the effect of paleodiet on male sexual
performance.  She thought this might be a "hook" to get her husband
interested in paleodiet.  I don't remember who it was, but I don't
recall anyone posting any replies either.  Anyway, I thought it might be
interesting to restart the discussion.

I turned 50 in august.  We're adults here, right?  So I don't think we
need to be bashful about this subject.  I once heard a comedian say that
the most important lesson he had learned, on turning 50, was "Never
waste a woody!"  My anecdotal report is that the truth of this lesson
*is* at least somewhat related to diet.  I certainly know what it's like
to have to deal with a "semi" when something more would be welcome, and
I am certain that many men and women reading this list are familiar with
the situation.  So, does paleodiet help?  I think it does.  Obviously,
there are psychological factors involved as well--stress, mood, etc.--so
it would be silly to claim that diet does it all, but I do think there
are dietary factors to pay attention to.

1.  Arginine and nitric oxide.  It is now known with certainty that
arginine-derived nitric oxide (ADNO) plays an important role in
circulation, including the vasodilation needed to get and maintain
erections.  That's because ADNO triggers the production of cyclic GMP,
the chemical that causes erections.  But use of arginine supplements
hasn't shown great results.  That may be because there are so many other
factors involved.  In any event, meat is a good source of arginine, and
a paleo diet with plenty of meat should easily provide several grams a
day of the stuff.

2.  I read an article recently in which it was mentioned that prior to
viagra the most common treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) was the
hormone PGE1.  I don't know how it was delivered, but I would imagine by
injection.  Well, PGE1 is a series 1 prostaglandin.  One of Barry Sears'
contributions has been to increase awareness of the effect of diet on
prostaglandins, via its effect on insulin.  In short, lowering fasting
insulin levels enhances production of series 1 prostaglandins, including
PGE1.  PGE1 is a vasodilator, which is why it helps with ED.  And it's
well known that ED is a symptom of type 2 diabetes, so to the extent
that a paleodiet is a moderate to lowcarb diet, it should help.  And my
anecdotal report is that this is true.  My diet is usually quite lowcarb
and pretty paleo most of the time, but sometimes I stray from the path.
If I stray for any length of time, that's when I'm most likely to have a
visit from Mr. Semi.

3.  Oddly enough, the exact role of testosterone in all this isn't
clear.  It's known that men produce less testosterone as they age, but
low testosterone doesn't seem to explain that many ED cases, and it's
not clear that testosterone supplementation is much help.  Having said
that, it is also known that fat cells are involved in the
"aromatization" of testosterone, which is the converstion of it to
estradiol, a potent estrogen.  This is not good for erections.  By
losing body fat one can considerably slow the aromatization of
testosterone.  Obviously paleo isn't the only way to lose weight, but I
think that in conjunction with items 1 and 2 above it's the best way.  I
suppose it's no accident that the men in porno flicks tend to be quite lean.

So there you are: three reasons to use paleo diet to keep Mr. Semi away!

Todd Moody
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