Do Oysters Increase Your Sex Drive?

Oysters regularly make the rounds in sex talk, with people heralding the great effects of this pseudo-miracle drug. Eat a bunch of these with a glass of champagne to bring back those desires. Do oysters really increase your sex drive? Many people are saying yes, but science is saying maybe.

Do Oysters Increase Your Sex Drive?
Science is saying yes -- just don't count on it. In 2005 American and Italian chemists found there was a connection between oysters and a person's sex drive, presenting their findings to the American Chemical Society. They discovered that oysters -- along with mussels and clams, cousins of this slimy delicacy -- aid the release of sexual hormones. The increase of sexual hormones, they concluded, aids in upping a person's sex drive.

Better yet, oysters are rich in zinc, an important mineral responsible for aiding a certain male counterpart. Increased zinc intake regulates many sexual parts of a man, including their prostate, their prostatic fluid, and the abundance of sperm. A lack of zinc results in decreased sex drive, not to mention other things that a little Enzyte could fix.

Although this study backs claims that oysters do aid in sex drive, the Food and Drug Administration is saying otherwise.

Oysters Aren't Really That Effective?
The Food and Drug Administration's response? Oysters, along with other sex drive boosters, don't increase your sex drive. No studies (besides the one mentioned) have proven the legitimacy of these claims, so the oyster myth truly is made up folklore. Or so they say. According to them, throwing an oyster or two down your throat won't aid anything - except for expanding your waistline. So who's correct, the FDA or the study? This answer is more obscure that oysters itself, but clearly science isn't saying yes.

John Renner, founder of the CHIRI (Consumer Health Information Research Institute, if you're interested), had this to say about sex boosting oysters:

"The mind is the most potent aphrodisiac there is. It's very difficult to evaluate something someone is taking because if you tell them it's an aphrodisiac, the hope of a certain response might actually lead to an additional sexual reaction."

Scientists will continue to argue about its potency, so don't expert any confirmation soon.

So Does it Increase it or Not?
Science doesn't know, but you do. If you're not taking it to increase your sex drive, take it to boost your zinc intake instead. Zinc is proven to increase certain sexual parts, and oysters are loaded with this sex-healthy mineral. It won't hurt to do your own experiment and see what results. These seafood bits are heart-friendly, so they also provide a hidden benefit. Eat these on the rocks and see what happens! You've got nothing to lose - except maybe an oyster or two.