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A muesli firm has seen a surge in sales - after its cereal was linked to claims it increased sexual prowess.

Young men in Jamaica are buying the Super High Fibre muesli to mix it with milk and Guinness for an energy-boosting recipe.

Now Dorset Cereals, based in Prince Charles' model village Poundbury, is gearing up to meet increased demand.

The firm only found out about the story after its exporters were asked to explain the soaring sales.

Business for the firm has increased by 10% on the island over the past year.

Terry Crabb, Dorset Cereals' managing director, said: "We couldn't believe it when we heard the reason behind the sales increase.

"Obviously the theory has spread across the island.

"They must know what scientists and psychologists are discovering - that people who eat lots of fibre are less stressed and are in a more positive mood."

Although nutritionalists say muesli provides a good start to the day, they cannot explain why it might increase libido.

However, the firm - which employs 38 people are its Dorset base - won a silver medal in last year's Great Taste Award.

BBC News

Young Americans who pledge to remain virgins until they marry have the same rates of sexually transmitted diseases as those who do not, a new study says.

Teenagers who take a public vow to abstain from sex have fewer partners and get married earlier.

But they are much less likely to use condoms, the research found.

"It's difficult to simultaneously prepare for sex and say you're not going to have sex," the study's author Peter Bearman told the AP news agency.

'Just say no'

The research, which is being presented at the National STD Conference in Philadelphia, examined the sex lives of 12,000 adolescents.

The data was gathered from young people aged 12 to 18 who were questioned again six years later.

According to the study, the STD rates were:

• Whites who pledged virginity 2.8% - did not 3.5%
• Blacks: pledgers 18.1% - non-pledgers 20.3%
• Asians: pledgers 10.5% - non-pledgers 5.6%
• Hispanics: pledgers 6.7% - non-pledgers 8.6%

Scientists say a man or woman's sex drive may be proportional to the size of a part of his or her brain.

Australian researchers from the University of Melbourne believe the size of the amygdala, a miniature "emotion" centre that is nestled at the base of the brain may determine how much sex a person wants, reports Nature News Service.

As small as an almond, the amygdala has long been known to process our reactions to fear.

Previous studies have shown, for example, that the amygdala is stimulated by erotic movies, and it's considered vital for mating behaviour in many animals.

The Australian team, led by David Reutens, scanned the brains of 45 patients who had chronic epilepsy, which is known to short-circuit sex drive.

Nature News notes that as part of the treatment for epilepsy, each had undergone surgery to remove part of his or her brain, which freed up the remaining areas to run more normally.

Those patients who had the greatest amount of amygdala left intact after the surgery also had the greatest sex drives. Reutens suggests this means the amygdala boosts the likelihood of a sexual trigger that leads to arousal, reports Netscape.

"They discovered something quite extraordinary," Jim Pfaus, who studies sexual behaviour at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, told Nature News.

Ananova.com

A London gym has developed a new fitness regime that it guarantees will increase the frequency, intensity and quality of customer's orgasms.

The Shag Workout is being launched at Gymbox in Holborn - and some participants claim to have reached a climax during test classes.

Gym bosses say the class involves a three-step process that aims to develop sexual technique, confidence and endurance resulting in a more satisfying session in the sack whilst improving fitness levels.

A Gymbox spokesman said: "Once inhibitions have been lowered and specific muscles targeted 25% of women participants in the test classes have reported experiencing the elusive and much sought after multiple orgasm for the first time in their lives.

He added all participants have said their sex lives have vastly improved and stamina levels increased. The workout incorporates relaxation and meditation with visualisation techniques to help develop various Tantric sex skills.

Each week a different Tantric sex technique is focused upon to concentrate on different aspects of lovemaking. These include guidance on achieving multiple orgasms, helping your partner to orgasm without ejaculation and how to prolong sex and the climax.

Later classes include the Motion in the Ocean aerobic workout, which is tailored to work targeted areas of the body in specific ways. This is achieved via a technique called F.A.S.T.E.R (Flexibility, Agility, Stamina, Tone, Endurance and Rhythm), which utilises functional sexual movements.

Workout creator and Gymbox founder, Richard Hilton said: "The Gymbox Shag Workout means that there is now a proven, embarrassment-free way to improve your sex life through hands-on coaching, rather than theoretical hearsay or guess work."

Ananova.com

More than a quarter of men and one in seven women holidaying in Ibiza have more than one sexual partner during their visit, according to research.

A study of more than 1,500 travellers aged 16 to 35 returning from the destination also found 11% of men and 3% of women said they had sex with six or more partners during their stay.

An estimated 17 million visits abroad are made by young people aged 16 to 34 from the UK every year - of these more than 250,000 go to Ibiza, which has built up a reputation for drug use and sexual promiscuity.

At the same time, the number of people hit by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has also soared in recent years. Researchers from the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University surveyed young holidaymakers returning from Ibiza in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

The researchers, writing in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, say action is urgently needed to protect the sexual health of millions of young people who travel abroad every year.

Just under half of those travelling without a sexual partner had sex during their stay, but 60% said they always used a condom. However, the proportion of visitors having unprotected sex during their holiday increased over the three years of the study.

Those having unprotected sex or sex with more than one person were more likely to have higher numbers of sexual partners in the preceding six months and were more likely to be smokers.

While 71% said they went to Ibiza for the music, almost 17.5% said sex was for a major reason for their visit. The researchers, led by Prof Mark Bellis, said the results suggested that 85 out of every 1,000 young visitors would have sex with a non-UK resident.

The authors said given the total numbers of UK visitors this points to a "substantial conduit for transmission of STIs between countries". The researchers said action to protect the sexual health of young people travelling abroad was urgently needed.

They said this would require investment from local health services, policy developments both regionally and nationally and working alongside the travel and nightlife industries.

Ananova.com

A Dutch entrepreneur has developed a sex shop vending machine.

The slot machine sells sex toys, erotic lingerie, massage oil and condoms, reports Het Laatste Nieuws.

Frans Berkers, from Oisterwijk, thinks he's on to a winner and wants to see one on every corner.

"My invention is a very customer friendly alternative to a sex shop and it's open 24/7," he said.

Mr Berkers says people would find using his vending machine less embarrassing than a sex shop.

But children would not be able to use it because it accepts only credit cards and not money.

"And I'm working on a concept which makes it impossible for a wife to see where her husband has spent his money. The account will only show a neutral address," he said.

However, he still hasn't persuaded local council officials to give him permission to put the first machine into operation.

The city administration of nearby Tilburg have agreed to his proposal in principle but have been unable to agree a location.

Ananova.com

A German psychologist has concluded long-term relationships and good sex are "an impossible combination."

Dr Michael Mary says following years of research as a sex therapist in Berlin he has found trying to continue having satisfying sex in an exclusive relationship is futile.

His recipe for getting boring love life going again is to cheat on your partner.

He said: "It is impossible to get everything together. To have trust and harmony and at the same time the level of passion and desire one experiences on the first day simply doesn't exist."

Dr Mary, who has recently published a book called "Five Lies Concerning Love", also warned that putting a lot of effort into working towards creating a fulfilled sex life in long-term relationships was for nothing.

He stated: "It is better to accept living with the discrepancy between sexual desire and long-term love."

Ananova.com

Women should be able to obtain emergency contraception in advance of having unprotected sex, a sexual health charity has said.

The Family Planning Association (FPA) says the morning after pill is more effective the sooner it is taken.

Having the pill to hand would mean women would not have to spend time finding a doctor or clinic to prescribe it, says the FPA.

Some family planning clinics do already give out the pill in advance.

The morning after pill can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex has taken place.

The FPA said women were more likely to use emergency contraception if they had it in advance, and did not have to see a doctor to obtain a prescription.

The association said studies had shown advance prescribing was safe and effective - and that it did not mean women had more unprotected sex, or that they used the morning after pill as a regular form of contraception.

Cost concerns

The FPA said over 75% of women surveyed would like to have emergency pills in advance.

But over 80% did not know they could ask for the service.

Fourteen per cent of family planning clinics said they already offered advance prescriptions of the morning after pill to women.

And over 40% said they would do so if asked.

Many clinics said they did not give out advance prescriptions more widely because of concerns over cost.

The FPA, which surveyed 100 women and 100 family planning clinics, called for advance prescriptions of the morning after pill should be more widely available.

'Terminations'

Anne Weyman, chief executive of the FPA, said: "Emergency pills are more effective the sooner they are taken after unprotected sex.

"Women may not always be able to get to a GP or clinic quickly, especially at weekends, so having these pills to hand can offer the best way to prevent an unplanned pregnancy."

She added: "This 'access through the bathroom cabinet' is ideal for women whose method could fail or who cannot get to a health professional easily.

"Emergency contraception is a cost effective prevention measure and wider access for women would help prevent the financial and social consequences of unplanned pregnancy."

But Paul Danon of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child said: "The trouble is that the morning after pill doesn't always prevent a pregnancy - quite often it terminates it.

"This is just another reason for us to say the prescribing of it, and the availability of it, just has to stop."

BBC News

Cash-strapped teenagers are using clingfilm and crisp packets as condoms because they cannot afford the real thing, say experts.

Sexual health experts say these improvised contraceptives not only do not work - but do not offer protection against disease.

The Family Planning Association is calling for more government money for free contraceptives.

Consultant Peter Greenhouse said: "This happens when people are desperate."

Mr Greenhouse, who also set up the first integrated sexual health clinic in Ipswich in 1991 and is now based at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, said that such practices were common in the UK's poorest areas.

He said: "The use of crisp packets and cling film is something anyone who has been working in sexual health for any period of time knows. "These young people are so poverty stricken they cannot even afford the bus fare to get into town, so how can they afford condoms?

"The message about sexually transmitted diseases has got through to teenagers but they don't have the money to implement the advice.

Low spending

Mr Greenhouse works at the city's Milne Centre for Sexual Health turns away 550 people a week.

The city has less than half the average number of sexual health doctors and nurses working in the rest of the UK.

He said: "Some areas such as Bristol are struggling where spending is historically dangerously low compared to other parts of the country.

"We cannot stay in this poverty trap. Young people need access to clinics and need to be aware of the failure rate of various contraceptives and advised that the condom is not always the most economical or effective form."

The Family Planning Association wants to see condoms freely available in doctors' surgeries throughout the country.

A spokeswoman backed calls for better funding for clinics.

The government has ordered a review of the modernisation of sexual health clinics in the wake of a highly critical report by the Health Select Committee last year.

BBC News

A Brazilian samba group has agreed to tone down its sexually explicit floats during the Rio carnival on Sunday after prosecutors threatened to ban them.

The Grande Rio school will cover up some of its displays, which include a giant Adam and Eve making love and positions from the Kama Sutra.

Prosecutors argued that the figures were bordering on pornographic. But the group says their samba theme promotes condom use and safe sex rather than promiscuity.

Frank message

"Let's Wear the Little Shirt, My Love," is Grande Rio's song this year, a slang reference to wearing a condom.

The school has been praised by Health Minister Humberto Costa for its efforts to deal frankly with the issue of safe sex, the Associated Press reported

Officials from the United Nations anti-Aids programme have also been supportive.

"Integrating HIV prevention messages into popular events is an effective way to educate young people about Aids and ultimately prevent new infections," Dr Luiz Loures said in a statement.

But Rio prosecutor Andrea Rodrigues Amin, acting on a complaint from the Association of Catholic Legal Scholars, said Grande Rio's theme had gone too far.

"Some figures inspired by the Kama Sutra, by their proportion, by their size... you can see that they have gone beyond erotic and already border on the pornographic," she told AP.

Free condoms

The reaction of church leaders in the world's biggest Roman Catholic country has been relatively muted.

"If it seeks to discredit, in the eyes of the world, Rio's carnival - that can be so beautiful - through one or another indecorous or unacceptable scene, then justice should intervene for the common good," Rio Archbishop Eusebio Oscar Scheid said.

Grande Rio's president Helio de Oliveira said they would make minor changes, covering up a bit but not hiding anything totally.

Carnival gets under way on Friday, climaxing with parades on Sunday and Monday by Rio's top samba schools.

The Brazilian government is planning to distribute 10 million free condoms during the festivities and is running advertisements encouraging people to use them.

BBC News