Does A Vegan Lifestyle Really Make You Better At Sex? PETA's Claim Is Fact-Checked

PETA's raunchy commercial may have been rejected for airtime during the Super Bowl, but the ad is making waves anyway. In the commercial, PETA compares the stamina of two bedmates: one vegan, and the other meat-eating. The tagline "Last longer. Go Vegan" doesn't leave much to the imagination. But how much truth is there to the idea that plant-based diets can improve your sexual stamina?

Doctors and nutritionists do agree that a healthier lifestyle — eating nutritious foods, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly — will improve sexual health, but a better diet doesn't necessarily translate to "give up all meat forever."

A new study from the U.K.'s University of East Anglia alongside Harvard researchers concluded that regularly consuming flavonoids, which are commonly found in berries and citrus, could stave off erectile dysfunction, while The Daily Meal just published a list of foods to eat to improve sexual health that includes leafy greens, beets, oats, and pistachios.

"Your sex life will be affected if you're leading an unhealthy lifestyle," sex therapist Kat Van Kirk  tells Greatist. "But people who are eating little to moderate amounts of red meat don't seem to be having any issues."

Basically, as long as you're not consuming steaks and burgers with every meal, a balanced diet — whether vegan or omnivorous — will boost your sexual health.