LONGECITY

High-dose ascorbic acid increases intercourse frequency and improves mood: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Brody S.

Center for and the Psychosomatic and Psychobiological Research, University of Trier, Germany.

BACKGROUND: Ascorbic acid (AA) modulates catecholaminergic activity, decreases stress reactivity, approach anxiety and prolactin release, improves vascular function, and increases oxytocin release. These processes are relevant to sexual behavior and mood.

METHODS: In this randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled 14 day trial of sustained-release AA (42 healthy young adults; 3000 mg/day Cetebe) and placebo (39 healthy young adults), subjects with partners recorded penile-vaginal intercourse (FSI), noncoital partner sex, and masturbation in daily diaries, and also completed the Beck Depression Inventory before and after the trial.

RESULTS: The AA group reported greater FSI (but, as hypothesized, not other sexual behavior) frequency, an effect most prominent in subjects not cohabiting with their sexual partner, and in women. The AA but not placebo group also experienced a decrease in Beck Depression scores.

CONCLUSIONS: AA appears to increase FSI, and the differential benefit to noncohabitants suggests that a central activation or disinhibition, rather than peripheral mechanism may be responsible.

Well, 14 days seem quite short. I would have appreciate some mid or long term study for the effects on sexual life.

This study pops up on message boards every now and then, generates a little buzz and then fizzles out. I would really like to understand the mechanism of action behind these effects before I buy into it. I suspect most people agree or this old news would have become common knowledge and high dose C would be in everyone's regimen.

This study pops up on message boards every now and then, generates a little buzz and then fizzles out. I would really like to understand the mechanism of action behind these effects before I buy into it. I suspect most people agree or this old news would have become common knowledge and high dose C would be in everyone's regimen.

Don't you mean everyone's partner's regimen

Yeah, that too.

Hmm. I take C, but I don't notice this. Then again I started taking many other things at the same time.

I didn't know vit. C decreased anxiety... I only take 2 g daily, maybe I'll bump it up.

Recently bumped my C dose to 2-3g a day via the ester-C, non-ascorbic acid (calcium ascorbate) at 500mg/tab and it seems to have a positive overall effect so far - considering going for 4-5g a day spread out - unless someone here can cite a reason not to...

This study pops up on message boards every now and then, generates a little buzz and then fizzles out. I would really like to understand the mechanism of action behind these effects before I buy into it. I suspect most people agree or this old news would have become common knowledge and high dose C would be in everyone's regimen.

lowers cortisol/histmaine.

Forty-two healthy young adults (mean age, 24.4 years) with a current sexual partner were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, 3,000 mg/day of vitamin C or placebo for 2 weeks. Among women, the frequency of sexual intercourse during the study was significantly greater in the vitamin C group than in the placebo group (mean, 10.3 vs. 3.7 episodes per month; 178% increase; p = 0.03). Vitamin C had no significant effect in men (mean episodes per month: vitamin C, 5.9; placebo, 6.3). The increase in intercourse frequency occurred only among non-cohabitants, whereas in cohabitants, vitamin C supplementation was associated with a nonsignificant decrease in frequency. The vitamin C group also experienced a decrease (improvement) in Beck Depression scores, whereas no change was seen in the placebo group.

Recently bumped my C dose to 2-3g a day via the ester-C, non-ascorbic acid (calcium ascorbate) at 500mg/tab and it seems to have a positive overall effect so far - considering going for 4-5g a day spread out - unless someone here can cite a reason not to...

The only suggestion I have is to avoid taking it with iron containing food like spinach or tofu, since it increases iron absorption, which most people don't want.

Fruit juice + Mg ascorbate = yummy.

Stephen