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Related Experiment Videos

High-dose ascorbic acid increases intercourse frequency and improves mood: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Stuart Brody1

  • 1Center for and the Psychosomatic and Psychobiological Research, University of Trier, Germany.

Biological Psychiatry
|September 5, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Ascorbic acid (AA) supplementation increased penile-vaginal intercourse frequency in healthy adults. This effect suggests a central mechanism, potentially impacting mood and sexual behavior.

Area of Science:

  • Nutritional Neuroscience
  • Human Sexuality Research

Background:

  • Ascorbic acid (AA) influences neurotransmitter systems and hormones linked to mood and sexual function.
  • AA modulates stress, anxiety, and vascular health, factors relevant to sexual behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of sustained-release ascorbic acid on sexual behavior and mood in healthy adults.
  • To determine if AA supplementation impacts penile-vaginal intercourse (FSI) frequency and depressive symptoms.

Main Methods:

  • A 14-day randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 81 healthy young adults.
  • Participants received either sustained-release AA (3000 mg/day) or a placebo.
  • Daily diaries tracked sexual behavior (FSI, noncoital sex, masturbation), and the Beck Depression Inventory assessed mood.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • The ascorbic acid group reported significantly higher FSI frequency compared to the placebo group.
  • This increase in FSI was more pronounced in individuals not cohabiting with their partner and in women.
  • The AA group showed a significant decrease in Beck Depression scores, unlike the placebo group.

Conclusions:

  • Ascorbic acid supplementation appears to enhance penile-vaginal intercourse frequency.
  • The findings suggest a central mechanism, possibly related to activation or disinhibition, underlies AA's effect on sexual behavior.
  • AA may also positively impact mood by reducing depressive symptoms.