Scientific research
Research on the treatment of erectile dysfunction seems to have led to new significant results. A few weeks ago, during the 26th National Congress of the SIA (Italian Society of Andrology), the results of an experiment conducted in Italy and based on the administration of Citrulline to a group of patients with problems of erection. Citrulline is an amino acid contained in abundance in the pulp and peel of watermelon which, through some enzymatic processes, is converted into Arginine. According to the results of tests carried out on patients suffering from erectile deficiency, this substance would be able to restore the level of nitric oxide necessary to achieve and maintain an erection.
Nitric oxide is fundamental in the sophisticated physiological mechanisms that determine erection as it is precisely the deficiency of this substance at the level of the smooth muscle cells of the cavernous bodies that determines erectile dysfunction, particularly in cases in which it is attributable to vascular problems.
The conclusions of the research
The conclusions of the research were illustrated by Prof. Ermanno Greco, director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Biology at the European Hospital in Rome.
The 75 subjects tested, having an average age of 48 years, were divided into three groups of 25: the first group was given a placebo, the second was given Arginine, which contributes, together with oxygen, to the formation of oxide Nitric, and one third of Citrulline. Arginine, alone, has not proven capable of resolving the disorder, as it is immediately metabolised by the body. Conversely, citrulline has proven to be very effective because this substance, after being transformed into arginine, remains in circulation, thus increasing arginine levels and stimulating cell activity which guarantee erection.
The research coordinator highlighted that very positive responses were recorded in 85% of the subjects who took citrulline, convincing him and his collaborators of the possibility that this substance could open up new avenues for experimentation.
Some practical advice
Prof. Greco also recalled that a targeted diet can certainly contribute to improve men’s sexual life. Citrulline, contained in the highest concentration in watermelons, is also present in other varieties of fruit and vegetables, such as cucumbers. Furthermore, there are vegetables, such as broad-leafed vegetables and arugula a>, particularly rich in natural nitrates which our body is able to convert into nitric oxide.
However, it should be underlined that it is not possible to obtain the daily intake of citrulline used during the experimental phase, i.e. 6 grams, through diet alone. Therefore, food supplements containing citrulline are being studied to be taken daily by those who have to deal with erectile dysfunction problems.
Pharmaceutical experimentation
The search for alternative treatments to the most famous drugs for the treatment of this disorder (Viagra, Cialis and Levitra) remains a field widely practiced by pharmaceutical experimentation because, although the so-called “love pills” have revolutionized the therapy of erectile dysfunction, these drugs remain unavailable to patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases and often involve annoying side effects, such as headache, dizziness, hot flushes in the face, dyspepsia and transient visual disturbances.
Conversely, as Prof. Greco reiterated, a substance like citrulline, as soon as products containing it are put on the market, can also be safely taken by subjects dealing with vascular, ischemic and cardiac pathologies.
By Giuseppe Iorio
