There’s a lot of truth in the old adage "you are what you eat," as it indicates that the food a person consumes has much more of an impact than simply sating the appetite. As surprising as it may seem, diet can indeed have an effect on a guy’s penis health, including his penis function. And since the penis is one part of the body that a man clearly wants to keep functioning at the highest possible level, it’s worth looking at how diet might affect penis function.

A study

Scientists recently conducted a study which was published in the journal Sexual Medicine Reviews. Entitled, "Diet and Men’s Sexual Health," it looked at existing studies into this area published between 1977 and 2017 and aggregated the findings. They looked especially at various kinds of diets to determine if they seemed to have an impact on penis function, testosterone levels, and semen health. These studies indicated that men who had penis function issues usually benefited from following a Mediterranean diet. Obese men who followed a non-Western diet also usually had improvements in penis function due to the weight they lost.

Which diet?

The various diets are basically defined as follows:

- Mediterranean. A diet in which there is an emphasis on fish, monosaturated fats, fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains.

- Western. In this diet, there’s more emphasis on red and processed meats, dairy, refined grains, and artificial sweeteners, and not much emphasis on fruits and vegetables.

- Paleolithic. Lean meats, fruits and vegetables are the mainstays of a Paleolithic diet. There is much less emphasis on dairy, sugar, salt and grains.

- Vegetarian/vegan. As the name implies, these are diets in which there are little or no animal products.

While these diets are presented in broad definitions, in general the diet which allows an individual man to be at his healthiest and at his most appropriate weight level and level of fitness is the diet that is best for him.

Beyond the kind of diet which impacts penis function, there are some other dietary factors which come into play.

For example, excessive intake of alcohol is generally associated with poor penis function. A moderate amount may prove beneficial to overall health, but too much alcohol is definitely a detriment to good sexual health.

By the same token, eating too much chocolate can lead to obesity, which is not good. But chocolate does have flavonoids, which can help increase blood flow, which is essential for good penis function. So consuming an appropriate quantity of chocolate may be good for some men. Watermelon also can be an aid in relaxing blood vessels.

Cashew nuts are high in zinc, and this can be a good thing for many men. Because zinc keeps testosterone from breaking down, consuming cashews may help maintain testosterone at a higher level, which tends to keep the sex drive up. Another good source of zinc: shitake mushrooms.

Sometimes it takes experimentation to learn exactly what parts of and kinds of a diet can impact a specific man’s penis function. Another boost to better penis health is the daily application of a top notch penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) . Look for a crème that contains two key amino acids - L-arginine and L carnitine. L-arginine helps in the production of nitric oxide, which is part of the process by which penile blood vessels remain open to increased blood flow. L carnitine is blessed with neuroprotective properties. When the penis is handled too roughly, it can cause a loss of sensation - and L carnitine helps to keep the penis feeling properly sensitized.