Pistachio diet improves erectile function parameters and serum lipid profiles in patients with erectile dysfunction

We investigated the effects of Antep pistachio on International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scores, penile color Doppler ultrasound (PCDU) parameters and serum lipid levels in patients with ED. A total of 17 married male patients with ED for at least 12 months were included in this prospective study. Patients were put on a 100 g pistachio nuts diet for 3 weeks. IIEF and PCDU were evaluated before and after the pistachio diet. In addition, plasma total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglyceride were measured before and after dietary modifications from all subjects. Mean IIEF-15 score was 36 +/- 7.5 before the diet and 54.2 +/- 4.9 after the diet (P = 0.001). Similarly, an increase in all five domains of IIEF was observed after the diet (P < 0.05). Mean peak systolic velocity values before and after the pistachio diet were 35.5 +/- 15.2 and 43.3 +/- 12.4 cm s(-1), respectively (P = 0.018). After the pistachio diet, TC and LDL levels decreased significantly, whereas HDL level increased (P = 0.008, 0.007 and 0.001, respectively). We demonstrated that a pistachio diet improved IIEF scores and PCDU parameters without any associated side effects in patients with ED. Furthermore, the lipid parameters showed statistically significant improvements after this diet. International Journal of Impotence Research (2011) 23, 32-38; doi:10.1038/ijir.2010.33; published online 13 January 2011