Love that longs for love: How fasting in male mice makes gender live

In a discovery that could arouse scientists and couples seeking relationship advice, the researchers found that male mice skipping meals showed a significant increase in sexual interest and activity. Hunger-fiber multi-connection may eventually lead to new ways to treat low libido in humans, published on March 28.

A research team from Germany’s DZNE (Germany Neurodegenerative Diseases Center) and a Chinese institution stumbled upon this revelation and investigated completely different things. They initially set out to study the effects of intermittent fasting on offspring, but noticed some unexpected things – older mice with long-term fasting regimens have far more babies than their well-fed counterparts.

“It reveals the real cause, it’s the detective’s work,” said Dr. Dan Ehninger, head of the research group at Dzne and lead author of the study. “Ultimately, we realized: it’s a behavioral problem. Fasted men have much more sexual contact than mice that can eat freely.”

The study involved a specific fasting regimen in which male mice alternated between 24 hours of unlimited food acquisition and only 24 hours of water. This pattern lasted for 6 or 22 months before men were introduced into women.

It is particularly noteworthy that these sexually revitalized mice are not young studs—many rodents are equivalent to older people. Despite age-related limitations such as reduced sperm quality and lower testosterone levels, their mating frequency increases far outweighs these physiological challenges.

The biological mechanism behind this behavioral change appears to involve serotonin, a neurotransmitter that usually has an inhibitory effect on sexual behavior. The researchers found that serotonin levels in the brains of fasting mice were abnormally low.

“It can be said that these mice are sexually inhibited and the usual regulatory restrictions have been reduced,” Ehninger explained.

The decrease in serotonin is due to dietary-induced tryptophan deficiency, which is an essential amino acid that must be obtained through food. Insufficient tryptophan intake, serotonin production is reduced.

Although the discovery is interesting, they may not appeal to those seeking immediate results. The researchers noted that a brief fasting period had no effect on sexual behavior.

“To increase sexual desire, it takes some time to increase sexual desire,” said Professor Yu Zhou of the collaborative study. “Based on our experiments, the minimum duration seems to be between six weeks and six months.”

The calorie reductions in fasted mice were about 15% lower than in the control group, and the reduction in tryptophan intake was similar. However, researchers are still uncertain whether this specific feeding pattern is needed or whether other fasting methods may have similar effects.

Can these discoveries be transformed into humans? Eninger thinks this is reasonable. He pointed out evidence of side effects of the drug – especially how SSRI antidepressants that increase serotonin levels, usually reduce sexual desire.

“In view of this, I think human sexual desire may be affected by fasting – not only in men, but in women, because serotonin also affects their sexual desire,” Ehninger notes.

The team suggested that fasting may provide a new approach to treating low-connected libido disorders, a disease that affects many older people. However, they acknowledge that more targeted human studies are needed before suggesting dietary treatment recommendations for low sexual desire.

As winter makes spring’s place, many consider lifestyle changes, this study lists unexpected potential benefits for the advantages of already lengthy intermittent fasting. Whether humans may encounter similar effects remains to be seen, but the link between diet and desire remains an evolving area of ​​scientific interest.