Your de
rmatologist may have more to do with your sex life than you think…You see, these medical “experts” continue to give you bad advice about a key hormone that has a huge effect on your libido.
That hormone is vitamin D3. And when you follow your doctor’s advice to avoid the sun, you experience a vitamin D deficiency that can cause your sex drive to tank.
I’ve been warning my patients – and my readers – about this since I wrote my book Your Best Health Under The Sun nearly 15 years ago.
And there’s new research that adds one more layer of proof to what I’ve been saying all along.
A new meta-analysis following more than 4,000 patients found a direct link between vitamin D3 deficiency and severe erectile dysfunction.1
Low D3 Causes ED
Most doctors don’t know about the crucial connection between testosterone and vitamin D3. But scientific research confirms that vitamin D3 directly boosts testosterone levels.
In one study of otherwise healthy middle-aged men, researchers determined spending more time in the sun helped their testosterone levels soar. And so did their sexual desire.2
But, boosting vitamin D3 helps your sex drive in another way.
You see, vitamin D3 plays a key role in healthy circulation and blood flow. It does this by activating nitric oxide (NO) inside your cells. I call NO nature’s “hydraulic pump” because it gets everything going.
You can’t become aroused without NO. That’s because nitric oxide expands your blood vessels. This increases blood flow throughout your body. It also relaxes the smooth muscle tissue in the genitals, allowing them to become filled with blood.
A study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found nitric oxide precursors — which vitamin D3 is one of — significantly increased sexual arousal in study volunteers.3
So, more vitamin D3 means more NO, which means more and better sex.
But, too little of this hormone does more than harm your love life. Vitamin D3 deficiency is a growing epidemic. And a lack of this life-saving hormone is directly linked to a variety of diseases, including:
- Higher risk of heart disease and stroke4,5
- Greater likelihood of developing diabetes6
- 63% increased chance of developing dementia7
- 31% increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures8
- 84% higher risk of arthritis9
- Higher risk of 17 kinds of cancer,10 including colon and prostate cancers
10 Minutes Is All It Takes To Boost Your Libido
Going outside in the midday sun for 10 minutes provides you with 10,000 IU of vitamin D. Here are a few more tips to increase your daily dose of D…
- Start out slowly. If you haven’t basked in the sun for a while, ease into it. And if you’re fair-skinned, limit yourself to 10 to 20 minutes a day. If you have a darker complexion, then you can push it to about an hour.
- Timing is everything. Get out in the sun when your shadow is shorter than you are. Typically that’s between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. That’s when the sun is highest and the rays are strongest so you can get good exposure over a short time.
- Expose ALL your body parts. For testosterone issues, I recommend sunbathing nude. You see, there’s a bigger testosterone boost when sunlight strikes your genitals. One study found that when sunlight hits your chest and back, testosterone levels rise by 120%. But when the genitals are exposed, levels spike by 200%.11
A word of caution, though. The skin surrounding your genitals may be extra sensitive to sunlight since it gets so little exposure. So don’t overdo it. It’s the last place you want a sunburn.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. Crafa A, et al. “Is there an association between vitamin d deficiency and erectile dysfunction? a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Nutrients. 2020 May; 12(5): 1411.
2. Where E, et al. “Association of vitamin D status with serum androgen levels in men.” Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2010 Aug;73(2):243-8.
3. Meston CM and Worcel M. “The effects of … sexual arousal disorder.” Arch Sex Behav. 2002;31(4):323-332
4.. Norouzi H, et al. “Association of vitamin D deficiency and premature coronary artery disease.” Caspian J Intern Med. 2019;10(1):80-85.
5. Kheiri B, et al. “Vitamin D deficiency and risk of cardiovascular diseases: a narrative review.” Clin Hypertens. 2018;24:9.
6. Berridege M. “Vitamin D deficiency and diabetes.” Biochem J. 2017;474(8):1321- 1332
7. Shen L and Ji HF. “Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia” Nutr J. 2015;14:76.
8. Busse B, et al. “Vitamin D deficiency induces early signs of aging in human bone, increasing the risk of fracture.” Sci Transl Med. 2013;5(193):193ra88.
9. Meena, N. “Assessment of vitamin D in rheumatoid arthritis and its correlation with disease activity.” J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2018;9(1):54-58.
10. Lappe JM, et al. “Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85(6):1586-1591
11. Moritz A. “Heal Yourself With Sunlight. Times Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation.” Ene-rchi Wellness Press. 2007. Page 38.