THEY say you are what you eat.
Based on new research, this adage now extends to the strength and quantity of sperm.
According to Audrey J. Gaskins, lead author of the first study and currently a doctoral candidate in Harvard School of Public Health's department of nutrition in Boston, diets rich in red meat and processed grains as well as diets high in trans fats seem to impair the ability of sperm to move about and lowers the sperm count.
Hers and researchers from University of Rochester and the University of Murcia in Spain are based on 188 men between the ages of 18 and 22, who were recruited in Rochester. Food questionnaires were completed, and participant diets were categorized as being either "Western" in content (including red meat, refined carbs, sweets and energy drinks) or so-called "Prudent" (composed of fish, fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains).
Semen tests were then conducted to assess sperm movement, concentration and shape. Sperm mobility was extremely affected with "Western" diets including factors like smoking and large body-mass index.
However, she stressed that more work is needed to better understand exactly how nutrition can affect sperm. “For now all we can say is that there's an association between nutrition and sperm quality," Gaskin said.
A second study led by Dr. Jorge Chavarro, an assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, revealed that men who eat diets that contain a relatively high amount of trans fat had lower sperm concentration levels. And they could even trace the amount of trans fat found in the sperm.
The conclusion was drawn from work with nearly 100 men, all of whom underwent a nutritional and semen quality analysis.
Even after adjusting for a wide array of factors such as age, drinking and smoking histories, BMI, caffeine intake and total calories consumed, the authors found that although trans-fat intake appeared to have no impact on sperm movement of shape, the more trans fatty acids consumed the lower an individual's sperm concentration.
They believed that unhealthy diet and lifestyle have an impact on male fertility. (Healthday.com)
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