For centuries, people have considered oysters an aphrodisiac, with at least one legendary lover, Giacomo Casanova, reportedly attributing his sexual prowess to eating dozens of them at a time.
Experts say these briny mollusks do contain elements that may enhance sex drive, though there is no scientific evidence showing a direct link to a more robust libido.
Raw oysters are high in zinc — a 3.5-ounce serving contains more than five times the recommended daily amount for an male adult and more than seven times for a female adult. Zinc is associated with improved testosterone levels, which influences male and female sex drives, and is essential for male fertility, research shows.
Zinc also boosts dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in pleasure and reward-seeking behaviors and may influence sexual responses in men and women, said Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian for the Center for Human Nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic.
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There’s another explanation as to why oysters may bring out a romantic side: the placebo effect, said Waguih William IsHak, a professor of psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai and the University of California at Los Angeles… Meta-analyses on placebo treatments for male and female sexual dysfunction have shown that people given a placebo reported an improvement in sexual functioning — in some studies, at a rate as high as 50 percent.
