Do aphrodisiacs really work?

Do aphrodisiacs really work? Getty Images Cocoa has been found to increase peripheral blood flow, though not sexual desire How lifestyle and diet can boost your sex life Wine's reputation as an aphrodisiac also may come from the fact that it's part of the Mediterranean diet, defined as consisting primarily of plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and nuts, fish and olive oil and being relatively low in sugar, cheese and meat. For people who exercise, have a healthy diet and lower stress, all these elements work together and they have better sex lives – Michael Krychman "Research has found that red wine affects sexual function, but we don't know if it's the diet, or a combination of diet, lifestyle and genetics," Krychman says. Getty Red wine has been found to affect sexual function – but with caveats The reason there is no supporting evidence for any individual food to be an aphrodisiac is a good one: any one food having such a potent effect would be dangerous, says Jessica Abbott, senior lecturer in evolutionary ecology at Lund University in Sweden. Getty Images In the right context, any food can have aphrodisiac qualities "Evolutionarily speaking, humans have a desire to have sex in order to reproduce, and we need to be of a healthy weight and have a diet that provides the right nutrients in order to do this," Billeter says.