It’s long been said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But now the fruit has been shown to be an aphrodisiac after researchers found eating one apple a day can improve the sex lives of women, The Telegraph reports.

Scientists believe the reason for this may lie in the compound phloridzin, which is found in apples and is similar to the female sex hormone estradiol. Estradiol plays a large role in sexual arousal.

Apples also contain polyphenols and antioxidants that can stimulate blood flow to the genitalia, helping with arousal.

Researchers at Santa Chiara Regional Hospital in Trento, Italy believe the more apples women consume, the higher the level of lubrication and sexual function – a measure which takes into account overall satisfaction with sex.

The study, published in Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, analysed 731 Italian women aged 18 to 43.

Each participant was asked to report on their daily apple consumption and eating habits.

The group was then split into two, with one section asked to eat one or more apples a day and another told to eat less than one a day.

All participants were then asked to complete the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), which included 19 questions about their sexual activities including frequency and overall satisfaction.

Researchers found that eating an apple a day was linked with higher FSFI scores, suggesting it increased their sexual pleasure.