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Experts Say Love Foods Are a Myth

Posted on: Friday, 14 February 2003, 06:00 CST

Experts Say Love Foods Are a Myth

source: Associated Press Strange News

By ANGELA POTTER, Associated Press Writer

BALTIMORE - They're known as the foods that get you in the mood. But experts say dark chocolate, chili peppers and raw oysters have no more power to arouse than a heap of cooked broccoli.

"There's no proof to it," said Cynthia Finley, a registered dietitian at the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center. "There hasn't been any conclusive evidence that any of these foods work as aphrodisiacs."

Still, lovers around the world continue to believe that some foods boost the libido, showing that when it comes to love, myth is mightier than science.

"There is something in those oysters," said Dhana Rice, a 38-year-old Baltimore waitress. "Whatever feeling is there, those oysters pump it up."

Her boyfriend, Wayne Johnson, 34, swears by chocolate.

"I can think of quite a few things I can do with chocolate, have done with chocolate and am going do with chocolate," said Johnson, a chef-in-training.

Some believe spicy foods like chili peppers and curries are aphrodisiacs because they raise heart rates and cause sweating, reactions that occur during sex.

Finley says it's all bunk. The only sure way to increase libido is to exercise and eat right.

"Those people who have better cardiac function also have better sex lives," she said.

That's in part because of the high levels of estrogen in fatty tissue, said Galdino Pranzarone, professor of psychology at Roanoke College in Salem, Va.

"If you can reduce the amount of fatty tissue in your body, the testosterone/estrogen ratio is more favorable to having a higher libido," said Pranzarone, who has taught human sexuality for 25 years. "People that work out and exercise on a regular basis tend to have a higher libido."

The allure of oysters and chocolate, however, has little to do with science.

Fact is, "we like myths," Finely said. "That in itself can be aphrodisiac in nature."

While chocolate and oysters may be among the foods mostly commonly thought to be aphrodisiacs in the United States, various web sites tout other foods including: anchovies, licorice, monkey brains, snake blood, ostrich delicacies, truffles, goat's eyes, cucumbers, hazelnuts, strawberries and cream and candied red rose petals.

"Every culture seems to have its own food," Pranzarone said. "Down in New Orleans, they say oysters. Eat oysters, love longer. That's a bumper sticker down there."

For the Aztecs it was cocoa bean ground into a fine powder and mixed with chili peppers, Pranzarone said.

"They would whip it up into a cold frothy drink," he said. "It was bitter and spicy hot. They got a rush from it."

For Rice and Johnson, who have been together six months, it's the creatures of the sea.

"Fish. Seafood," said Rice. "Most definitely."

The couple said they plan to cook flounder for Valentine's Day.

"It's delicate. It goes along with the whole mood," Rice said.

For dessert? Rice said she wants strawberries and cream because it's drippy "and gives you an excuse to do unauthorized kissing."

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Copyright © 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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