Another major Mediterranean diet win all men need to know about

You know I’m a firm believer that there’s no such thing as “just getting old.” The symptoms many people—doctors included—associate with aging actually have other underlying causes. Ones that can be addressed naturally, leading you into your golden years feeling better than ever.

For instance, many doctors see something like erectile dysfunction as an inevitable side effect of aging and don’t take it seriously. They dole out a prescription for Viagra and send the patient on his way. But the fact is, erectile dysfunction is an indicator of a much more serious problem in the body. And popping the little blue pill won’t help you solve it (quite the contrary).

If you are suffering from erectile dysfunction, you’d be much better off turning your attention to your heart health. And, as a new study shows, the best place to start is by focusing on your diet.

The study, presented by the European Society of Cardiology at its annual meeting in Vienna just over a week ago, found that eating a Mediterranean diet led to an improvement in cardiovascular performance in patients with erectile dysfunction.

Conversely, those who didn’t adhere well (or at all) to this diet had more cardiac and vascular damage.

The study looked at 75 men, average age 56, with erectile dysfunction. Researchers used the “Med-Diet Score” to measure men’s adherence to the Mediterranean diet. This score ranks patients as high (30-55), intermediate (21-29) or low (0-20) based on looking at consumption of a range of things including fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy products, and olive oil.

Researchers evaluated vascular function by measuring plaque in the arteries and stiffening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis)—two of the hallmarks of heart disease.

And they found that the lower the Med-Diet Score, the worse vascular and heart function was.

Which led researchers to conclude the very same point I made above: “Erectile dysfunction is not a symptom of aging, it is a bad sign from the body that something is wrong with the vasculature. In 80% of cases erectile dysfunction is caused by vascular problems and is a warning that patients are at increased risk of a heart attack or stroke.”

As you know, the Mediterranean diet is the basis of my New Hamptons Health Miracle. However, I’ve added some critical tweaks that make it even healthier.

One of the most important differences between the standard Mediterranean Diet and my New Hamptons Health Miracle is the focus on monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). And while olive oil—the shining star of the Med Diet—does contain MUFAs, there are some fundamental flaws with relying on it as your main cooking oil.

The good news is, there’s actually a much richer source of MUFAs that doesn’t carry these same caveats: macadamia nut oil. I’ve been recommending it to my patients (not to mention using it myself), for years. It may seem like an inconsequential detail…but it really does make a world of difference. And it’s delicious to boot.

The long and short of it is: Say yes to good fats and lean protein (think salmon, avocado, and nearly any type of nuts), and no to sugar and carbs. Swap out your olive oil with macadamia nut oil. And don’t forget to supplement with fish oil: 1,500 mg of EPAs and DHAs, twice a day.

Follow this simple plan and you’ll be well on your way to a healthy, “ageless” body—inside and out.