A 50,000-man study has discovered an astonishingly simple and delectable approach to improve your erections.

THE MOST MANLY MEAL

For you ladies, here's a scenario: You meet someone you sort of like at the gym and arrange to meet him for dinner at the LongHorn Steakhouse. You, the bench-pressing, deadlifting, 100 percent woman, order the LongHorn Porterhouse, cooked so rare that you can listen to the sounds of the Palo Duro Canyon through your ear.

Instead of ordering something equally bovine, your date orders the salad and nothing else: a plate of lettuce, radishes, and carrots, topped with a little gathering of blueberries and strawberries.


BLUE BALLS vs BLUE BERRIES

Researchers from the University of East Anglia and Harvard University recently published the findings of a major population-based study that followed over 50,000 males for 30 years. Since 1986, the males have been asked about their ability to achieve and sustain an erection on a regular basis.

Blueberries, cherries, blackberries, and radishes, even a few pieces a week, are foods that contain these specific polyphenols and were common in the diets of strong-erection men.

A STRONG HEART MEANS A STRONG PENIS

It's common knowledge that certain polyphenols, particularly anthocyanins and flavonoids, are linked to a lower risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and that a healthy heart equals a healthy erection. It's all about hydraulics, after all.

So it stands to reason that if dietary polyphenols help to prevent or delay the onset of these disorders, you'll have greater erections as a result.

Of course, there are probably other mechanisms at work as well. Certain anthocyanins can activate the enzyme AMPK, which controls the intensity and duration of erections by affecting nitrous oxide systems.

HOW CAN YOU APPLY THIS INFORMATION?

Certain polyphenols, such as those present in blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, radishes, red wine, apples, pears, and citrus fruits, have been shown to improve erections and prevent erectile dysfunction.

Although more research is needed to determine exactly how much you'd need to consume, it appears that you could easily match the benefits enjoyed by the men in this study by adding a handful of blueberries to your cereal or protein shake a few times a week.

Oh, one more thing: Steak lovers would have at least one turgid leg up on persons who solely ate polyphenol-rich foods and not animal flesh, which brings us back to the article's beef-tongue-in-cheek introduction.

However, the take-to-bed message about erections is this: An erection that is firm and strong is a sign of good health. If your flaccid canary in the coalmine is dead, failing, or flailing, start by shoring up your nourishment with polyphenols (and maybe even some more animal protein).