Are oysters an aphrodisiac? The slippery truth

Oysters have the most famous reputation of any aphrodisiac food, and it's easy to see why. They come from the sea, where Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was said to have been born. The word aphrodisiac comes from her name. In countless paintings she rises from the waves standing on a shell. The marketing practically wrote itself.

Then there's the look and feel. Oysters are soft, glistening, salty and slippery, and plenty of people have noticed they're a little suggestive. You tip back the shell, let it slide over your tongue and taste the ocean. It's intimate in a way a sandwich will never be.

So are oysters an aphrodisiac in the strict scientific sense? No study has shown that eating them raises desire in humans. But they do contain nutrients that matter for sex, and the ritual of eating them together is a proper turn-on for a lot of people. Both of those things are real, and both are worth using.

Think of it this way. Calling oysters an aphrodisiac is a bit like calling candlelight one. Neither changes your hormones, yet both can make a night feel charged. The rest of this guide covers what's actually inside the shell, what the famous studies found and how to turn half a dozen oysters into a properly flirty evening.

The Romans loved oysters so much that they farmed them and shipped them across the empire packed in snow. Wealthy Romans served them at long, boozy feasts, and satirists of the time linked them with lust and excess. The oysters aphrodisiac story is at least two thousand years old. Few foods have been called an aphrodisiac for that long, which tells you how powerful the idea of oysters as an aphrodisiac has always been.

By the 18th century, the Venetian adventurer Giacomo Casanova was writing in his memoirs about sharing oysters with lovers, passing them from mouth to mouth as a playful game. The claim that he ate fifty every morning has been repeated so often it's become part of oyster folklore, whether or not it's strictly true.

In Victorian London, oysters were cheap street food sold from stalls to working people. Only later, as wild beds were overfished, did they turn into the pricey restaurant treat we know now. That price tag helped too. A food that feels like a splurge tells your date this evening is special.

The most solid link between oysters and sex is zinc. Oysters contain more of it than almost any other food, and just a few can cover more than your daily needs. Zinc is involved in making testosterone, producing healthy sperm and keeping your immune system ticking over.

In the UK, adult men are advised to get around 9.5 mg of zinc a day and women around 7 mg. Most people who eat a varied diet manage that without trying. Vegans, heavy drinkers and people with some gut conditions are more likely to run low, and they may benefit from a chat with a GP or dietitian.

Oysters also bring vitamin B12, iron, selenium, protein and a little omega-3 fat. None of those is a sex drug on its own. But feeling well fed and healthy never hurt anyone's love life, and oysters pack a lot of goodness into very few calories.

This is where the science gets kinder to the legend. Ask a nutritionist whether oysters are an aphrodisiac and they'll probably say no, but they'll also say oysters and zinc are a brilliant match for anyone whose diet is a bit thin on it. Six medium oysters can give most adults well over a day's worth, so you don't need a mountain of them.

Here's the honest catch. In men who are genuinely short of zinc, low testosterone and poorer sperm quality are more common, and fixing the shortfall can help. That's a real effect. If your zinc levels are already fine, though, eating more won't push your hormones any higher. Extra zinc doesn't turn into extra horniness.

So the oysters testosterone link is about topping up a deficiency, not supercharging a healthy body. Think of it like putting petrol in a car with a half-full tank. You won't go any faster.

Overdoing zinc can actually cause problems. Taking high-dose zinc supplements for a long time can lower your copper levels and upset your stomach. Half a dozen oysters on a date night is a treat. A daily dozen plus a zinc tablet is not a clever plan.

If you genuinely suspect low testosterone, the signs to watch for include low sex drive, tiredness, low mood and fewer morning erections. A blood test from your GP is the only way to know for sure. That beats guessing at a seafood counter, however tasty the guessing is.

Zinc is concentrated in semen, and men lose a little every time they come. That's one reason oysters for men have always been talked up as a way to keep your strength. It's a fun piece of trivia, but you don't need to restock after every orgasm. A normal diet covers it.

Oysters won't treat erectile dysfunction either. If getting or staying hard has become tricky, look at sleep, stress, alcohol, smoking, medication and your general health. Erection problems can be an early sign of heart disease or diabetes, so if they keep happening, see a doctor rather than ordering another platter.

Where oysters can help is with mood and confidence. A sexy, slightly daring meal sets up anticipation, and anticipation is a powerful thing. Turned-on bodies respond better, whoever you are and whatever you've got.

So are oysters an aphrodisiac for men in particular? Only in the sense that they support normal health and make for a sexy, confident evening. Enjoy them for that, and don't expect a plate of shellfish to do the work of a healthy lifestyle.

You may have read that scientists proved oysters raise sex hormones. This comes from research presented in 2005 by a team who looked at unusual amino acids, D-aspartic acid and NMDA, found in some shellfish such as mussels and clams. When they gave these compounds to rats, the animals' testosterone and other hormones rose.

It's an interesting finding and it made headlines everywhere. But it was in rats, it used isolated compounds rather than plates of oysters, and the amounts in real shellfish vary a lot through the year. Nobody has shown that eating oysters has the same effect in people.

There's a nice twist, though. Some reports suggested these compounds peak in spring, which is when many animals breed. It's a lovely story about oysters and the season of love. Until someone tests it properly in humans, keep it as flirty dinner-table chat rather than science.

If you've never had them, start with a few rather than a full dozen. Smaller, milder oysters are easier for first-timers than big briny ones. Lift the shell, take in the scent, tip it back and give it a chew or two. Swallowing whole is a myth, and chewing lets you taste the sweet, creamy or salty flavour properly.

• buy from a trusted fishmonger or a restaurant with high turnover
• look for tightly closed shells and a fresh sea smell
• try lemon, a dash of hot sauce or shallot vinegar
• pair them with something cold, like sparkling wine or a crisp white
• if raw feels too much, try them grilled with garlic butter

Now the fun part. Feed each other. Sit close rather than across a big table. Hold eye contact as you tip the shell back. Laugh when one slips. If you're both up for it, try Casanova's mouth-to-mouth trick. Knowing how to eat oysters well is really about turning a starter into foreplay.

Raw oysters filter seawater, so they can carry bacteria such as Vibrio and viruses such as norovirus. Most people who eat them never have a problem, but shellfish food poisoning can be miserable and occasionally serious. A night on the bathroom floor is the least sexy outcome possible.

People who are pregnant, older people, and anyone with liver disease, diabetes or a weakened immune system should avoid raw oysters completely. Cooking them thoroughly kills most of the bugs. Shellfish allergy is common and can be severe, so if you've ever reacted to prawns, crab or lobster, steer clear.

If you feel unwell after eating them, with vomiting, diarrhoea or fever, drink plenty of fluids and rest. Get medical advice quickly if you're in a higher-risk group, if symptoms are severe, or if a cut or wound turns red and swollen after contact with seawater or raw shellfish.

The old rule about only eating oysters in months with an 'r' in them came from a time before fridges. Modern farming and cold chains have changed that, but warm summer months can still mean higher bacteria levels in some waters, so buy carefully.

Plenty of people can't stand the texture, and that's fine. Never push oysters on someone who isn't keen. For zinc, beef, lamb, crab, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, lentils, cashews and dairy all do a good job, and a balanced diet usually covers your needs without supplements.

If what you really want is the ritual, choose any food that's a little indulgent and fun to share. Ripe figs, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate or anything you eat with your fingers can create the same playful closeness. Feeding someone is flirting, whatever's on the fork.

So, are oysters an aphrodisiac? The real magic was never only inside the shell. It's the attention, the slowness and the shared feeling of doing something slightly naughty together. Bring that energy to the bedroom afterwards and the oysters will get all the credit.

Most oyster talk is aimed at men, with all that chat about zinc and testosterone. But zinc matters for everyone's health, and there's no specific evidence that oysters raise desire in women any more than in men. So are oysters an aphrodisiac for women? In the same way they are for anyone: through the mood they create rather than a chemical kick.

For a lot of women, what really gets things going is anticipation, feeling desired and having time to warm up. A slow, flirty meal ticks all three boxes. Being fed by someone who's clearly enjoying watching you is a turn-on whatever's in the shell.

If you're the one doing the seducing, think less about the oysters and more about the attention. Notice what your partner likes, keep the pace unhurried and let the evening build. Plan the menu so nobody feels too full, because a heavy meal is the fastest way to swap sex for the sofa.