A Spanish research team conducted studies to access whether essential nutrients, such as vitamin D, could heighten sexual pheromones.

Pheromones are odorless, naturally secreted chemical communicators that act as a signal to trigger behavioral responses in another member of the same species. In animals, sex pheromones signify the availability for breeding.

The team gave the supplements of vitamin D to male Iberian rock lizards and reported that female lizards were excited due to the secretions. They showed their arousal by flicking their tongues and lingering in areas where the supplemented males had been.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that can be obtained by eating dairy products, fish and fortified cereals. Vitamin D can also be obtained by exposure to sunlight. Sunshine is a significant source of vitamin D because UV rays from sunlight trigger vitamin D production in the skin.

The scientists believe that since pheromone secretions come from body nutrients, the presence of vitamin D had a special affect and reflected the good health of the lizard to his female counterpart. They also tested and found that other lizard species have large amounts of vitamin E in their pheromone secretions.

They concluded that lizards with nutrient-rich diets and high amounts of vitamins in their secretions were releasing more pheromones and were more sexually attractive to the females. They were unsure whether this was because of the vitamins alone, or whether a well-fed, healthy male was simply a better choice for a mating partner.

Since lizards are frequently not capable of synthesizing vitamin D that comes from the sun due to dark, thick skin, they must obtain it through food sources. The lizards supplied with nutrition supplements seemed to secrete more provtiamin D on their hind limbs, a compound that converts to vitamin D with ultraviolet radiation, or sunlight. This secretion on the hind limbs marks the lizard’s territory with pheromones as he moves about and spreads the scent.

Although vitamin D supplementation made a difference in the Iberian rock lizards, they cannot be certain whether these vitamins could have the same effect on humans, or whether provitamin D plays a part in human synthesis. However, it has often been the case that what works in the animal kingdom works with people as well. Vitamin D? It may turn out to be that it adds sex appeal.