In this guide
- Why your erection is really a blood-vessel test
- The Mediterranean diet study of 21,000 men
- Fruit, flavonoids and erections
- The weight-loss trial that changed my mind
- What I actually eat
- The aphrodisiac myths
- When food is not enough
Every week someone asks me what I eat before a scene, as if there were a secret meal. Oysters, maca, some pre-workout powder with a lion on the label. I understand the hope. But after years of working with my body, I can tell you the thing that helps most is not a single meal. It is what you eat on the 300 days a year when nobody is filming.
The science on this is surprisingly solid, and none of it requires buying anything special. Let me show you.
Your erection is a blood-vessel test
An erection is mainly about blood flow. The arteries in the penis are small, so when the lining of your blood vessels (the endothelium) starts to suffer from high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking or excess sugar, the penis is often one of the first places you notice it. The NHS lists high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes among the conditions that can cause frequent erection problems (NHS: Erectile dysfunction).
That is why researchers describe erectile dysfunction, especially in younger men, as an early warning sign of cardiovascular disease. I explained that link in detail in erectile dysfunction in young men. The good news is the flip side: food that protects your heart and arteries also protects your erections.
Food that is good for your heart is good for your erections. The arteries are the same system; the penis just complains first.
The study of 21,469 men
The biggest piece of evidence comes from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a long-running study of American male health workers. In 2020, researchers published an analysis of 21,469 men followed for an average of about 11 years, all free of erectile dysfunction, heart attack, diabetes and stroke at the start (Bauer et al., 2020, JAMA Network Open).
They scored each man’s diet against two healthy patterns: the Mediterranean diet and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index. The results:
- Men under 60 with the highest Mediterranean diet scores had about a 22% lower risk of developing erectile dysfunction than those with the lowest (hazard ratio 0.78).
- The association also held, more weakly, in men aged 60 to 70.
- A high score on the Alternative Healthy Eating Index was also linked to lower risk, again mainly in men under 60.
Pay attention to the age detail. The effect was strongest in the younger group. That tells me diet is not something to think about at 65 when problems start; it is something to fix in your twenties and thirties.
To be fair, this is an observational study. It shows an association, not proof that diet alone caused the difference, since men who eat well also tend to exercise and smoke less. But it fits with everything else we know.
Fruit, flavonoids and erections
A second analysis from the same group of men looked at flavonoids, natural compounds found in fruit, vegetables, tea and other plant foods. Among 25,096 men, higher intakes of three flavonoid groups (flavones, flavanones and anthocyanins) were linked to a lower risk of erectile dysfunction (Cassidy et al., 2016, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).
In food terms, those compounds come from things like berries and red or purple fruit (anthocyanins) and citrus fruit (flavanones). The researchers found that higher total fruit intake was associated with a 14% lower risk of erectile dysfunction. Again, the benefit appeared in men under 70 and not in older men.
Is a bowl of blueberries going to replace a doctor? No. But eating fruit every day is cheap, it tastes good and it is pointing in the right direction.
The trial that actually tested it
Observational studies are useful, but what convinces me most is a randomised trial, where people are assigned to change their habits and compared with a control group.
In Naples, Italy, researchers took 110 obese men with erectile dysfunction. Half got detailed coaching to lose at least 10% of their body weight by eating less and moving more; the other half got general healthy-living information. After two years, the intervention group’s erectile function scores improved significantly while the control group’s stayed the same. Seventeen men in the intervention group regained normal erectile function, compared with three in the control group (Esposito et al., 2004, JAMA). The authors concluded that lifestyle changes improved sexual function in about a third of the men.
The same team later looked at men with metabolic syndrome, the dangerous combination of belly fat, high blood sugar, high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol. After two years on a Mediterranean-style diet rich in whole grains, fruit, vegetables, legumes, walnuts and olive oil, 13 men regained normal function, compared with 2 on the control diet (Esposito et al., 2006).
One in three men fixing a problem without a pill is a big deal.
What the Mediterranean diet actually looks like
Mayo Clinic summarises the Mediterranean diet as eating mostly vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, using olive oil as the main fat, having fish and seafood a couple of times a week, moderate amounts of poultry, eggs, cheese and yoghurt, and limiting red meat, sweets and processed food (Mayo Clinic: Mediterranean diet). The NHS Eatwell guidance points the same way: base meals on fruit, vegetables and wholegrain starchy foods and cut down on saturated fat, salt and sugar (NHS: Eat well).
I am from Valencia, so honestly, this is just how people eat where I grew up. Here is what that looks like in my week:
- Olive oil instead of butter, on everything.
- Vegetables at lunch and dinner, not as a side but as half the plate.
- Fruit every day, usually berries, citrus or whatever is in season. Since I discovered the flavonoid study I eat more of the dark-coloured ones.
- Fish two or three times a week, plus eggs and chicken for protein.
- Beans, lentils and chickpeas a few times a week. Cheap, filling and full of fibre.
- A handful of nuts instead of processed snacks.
- Red meat occasionally, processed meat rarely.
- Very little sugar and ultra-processed food. This is where most men’s diets fail.
I am not perfect. I eat out, I travel, I enjoy a good dessert. But the pattern is what counts, not a single meal.
The rest of the lifestyle
Diet does not work alone. The NHS lifestyle advice for erection problems is: lose weight if you are overweight, stop smoking, eat a healthy diet, exercise every day, try to reduce stress and anxiety, do not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week, and take a break from cycling if you ride more than three hours a week. Food helps you with at least three of those.
If stress and nerves are part of your problem, read my guide on sexual performance anxiety. If you are worried about hormones, my piece on testosterone and sex drive explains why weight and sleep matter there too.
The aphrodisiac myths
Now the fun part. Oysters, chocolate, horny goat weed, maca, “natural Viagra” capsules from a petrol station. There is little good evidence that any specific food works as an aphrodisiac in the way people hope. The diets with evidence behind them work slowly, over months and years, by protecting blood vessels, the heart and body weight.
Be especially careful with “natural” sexual-enhancement supplements. Supplements are not tested and regulated like medicines, and some sold online for erections have been found to contain hidden prescription drug ingredients; the US Food and Drug Administration keeps a list of tainted sexual enhancement products (FDA). If you want something for erections, get it from a doctor, who can check it is safe with your heart and your other medicines.
When food is not enough
Diet is a foundation, not a cure for everything. If erection problems keep happening, the NHS advises seeing a GP or sexual health clinic, because it might be a sign of a health condition that can be treated, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Doctors can also prescribe effective medicines. Changing your diet and seeing a doctor are not either-or; the best results usually come from doing both.
This is not medical advice. I am a performer sharing the sources I trust, not your doctor.
If you want to follow my work, my official site is maximogarciaworld.com, and the 18+ side is on fuckingpornstars.net. For more on how the industry really works, try is porn real?, or read about Nina Hartley, the nurse who became a sex educator on House of Maximo.
Sources
- Bauer SR et al. Association of diet with erectile dysfunction among men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. JAMA Netw Open, 2020.
- Cassidy A, Franz M, Rimm EB. Dietary flavonoid intake and incidence of erectile dysfunction. Am J Clin Nutr, 2016.
- Esposito K et al. Effect of lifestyle changes on erectile dysfunction in obese men: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 2004.
- Esposito K et al. Mediterranean diet improves erectile function in subjects with the metabolic syndrome. Int J Impot Res, 2006.
- Mayo Clinic. Mediterranean diet for heart health.
- NHS. Eat well.
- NHS. Erectile dysfunction (impotence).
- US FDA. Tainted sexual enhancement products.
