Sunbathing boosts the male sex drive, suggests the findings of a new Austrian study.
The study establishes that testosterone is boosted by vitamin D. Low testosterone levels are known to adversely impact a man's libido as well as reduce energy levels.
Testosterone also helps maintain muscle strength and bone density in both men and women.
Majority of the vitamin D is produced by the skin on exposure to sunlight. Diet is the other source through which the human body takes in vitamin D.
More vitamin D, more testosterone
For the purpose of the study, researchers from the Medical University of Graz, Austria followed 2,299 men.
The findings of the study revealed that men with at least 30 nanograms of vitamin D per milliliter of blood had more testosterone in the blood vis-à-vis those who had little vitamin D.
Ad Brand of the Sunlight Research Forum, a non-profit organization, in The Netherlands, said, "Men who ensure that their body is at least sufficiently supplied with vitamin D are doing good for their testosterone levels and their libido among other things."
The study also revealed that testosterone and vitamin D levels reached their zenith in the month of August, dipped in winter and hit their lowest ebb in the month of March.
Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in Andrology at the University of Sheffield said, "Whether healthy men notice a significant changes throughout the year is less clear and I would urge men to be sensible about using sunbeds in the winter months given the known risks of using them excessively."
Words of caution
Meanwhile cancer
experts have warned that too much exposure to sunlight is detrimental for the human body and may also result in skin cancer.
Jessica Harris of Cancer Research UK cautioned, “Enjoying the sun safely while taking care not to burn should help people strike a balance between making enough vitamin D and avoiding a higher risk of skin cancer.”
"People can also top up their levels of vitamin D by eating more foods like oily fish such as salmon, trout or mackerel," suggested Harris.
Professor Winfried Marz, lead author of the Austrian suggested that new research should be undertaken to examine whether the vitamin D supplements have the same result on testosterone and subsequently on libido in men.
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