Sex and the Beach: The Role of Vitamin D in Increasing Libido
By Barbara Lock, MDFebruary 06, 2010
Vitamin D, now getting a return of recognition for conferring important health benefits ranging from cancer prevention to heart health, may have a new title: natural aphrodisiac. Why is it that sun drenched islands are associated with romance? It may be because the vitamin D manufactured in our skin on a sunny vacation raises testosterone levels.
Testosterone, the male sex hormone, is largely responsible for sex drive in both men and women. Yes, even women need testosterone for a strong libido. Since a woman's naturally produced testosterone is converted to the hormone estrogen in adipose tissues, or stored fat, thinner women generally have more circulating testosterone than heavier women. And yes, this means that in general, the thinner a woman is, the more likely she is to have a strong sex drive.
Now, reasearchers out of Austria have demonstrated a strong link between levels of vitamin D in men and levels of testosterone: in their cross sectional study, men with sufficient blood levels of 25(OH)D (circulating vitamin D) had higher levels of androgens than men who had insufficient or deficient levels of the hormone. And the variation in andgrogens matched the seasonal variation in vitamin D levels that is associated with seasonal exposure to sunlight.
Now, this connection has not been demostrated to be a causal connection; there may be a third so-called confounding factor that makes it appear that Vitamin D raises testosterone level. It may be, for example, that people with naturally higher testosterone seek more outdoor experiences and therefore get more sunlight. But I think that this one will pan out. It fits in nicely with the knowledge that vitamin D plays a role in both male and female fertility; vitamin D receptors are even found on human sperm.
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