Red wine ‘good for sexual health’

A new review published in the Journal for Clinical Medicine claims studies show the potential benefits of red wine to sexual health.

The report, which assessed a number of studies between 1993 and 2022, claims red wine, if consumed in moderate quantities, could potentially help patients with erectile dysfunction and also help with sexual desire in both men and women.

The study said: “The antioxidant properties of polyphenols found in red wine appear to be beneficial for the male reproductive system, suggesting a positive correlation between red wine consumption and testosterone serum levels.”

Polyphenols, which are a compound found in red wine as well as fruits, vegetables and other herbs and spices, work as anti-oxidants, preventing cardiovascular disease and even types of cancer.

Through having a positive impact on the heart, it can increase blood flow to other parts of the body, including sexual organs.

It said: “The evidence so far collected has shown that red wine, if consumed in moderation, can be potentially beneficial for patients with erectile dysfunction.”

Additionally, the study suggested that red wine could help boost testosterone as well as male fertility.

The study also looked at the impact of red wine on women, discovering those who drank red wine to moderate levels had more sexual desire than those who had one glass or less, or were even tee-total.

It said: “Women consuming moderate red wine showed higher scores for sexual desire and lubrication with an overall improvement in sexual function compared to teetotaller women or “occasional drinkers” who consumed less than one glass per day of any type of wine or other alcoholic beverages.

“Considering that age usually correlates inversely with sexual function, these findings appear to be very interesting, as the women in group 1 (moderate drinkers) were older than in groups 2 and 3 (one glass and teetotal). According to the authors, these findings could be due to a synergistic effect of both polyphenols and alcohol content in red wine.

“In this study, red wine intake resulted in an overall improvement of sexual function in group 1 compared to group 3, which was composed of occasional drinkers of other types of alcoholic beverages, including white wine and to a lesser extent red wine.”

The study also looked at whether other alcoholic beverages, such as beer, would have a similar effect, but concluded red wine, due to the properties within the drink, had a bigger impact.

It also stated that high levels of alcohol intake were detrimental to sexual health as well as overall health.