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Dietary patterns and semen quality in young men
Abstract
results: Two dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis. The ‘Western’ pattern was characterized by high intake of red and processed meat, refined grains, pizza, snacks, high-energy drinks and sweets. The ‘Prudent’ pattern was characterized by high intake of fish, chicken, fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. The Prudent pattern was positively associated with percent progressively motile sperm in multivariate models (P-trend ¼ 0.04). Men in the highest quartile of the Prudent diet had 11.3% (95% CI 1.3, 21.3) higher % progressively motile sperm compared with men in the lowest quartile. The Prudent pattern was unrelated to sperm concentration and morphology. The Western pattern was not associated with any semen parameter. limitations: This was a cross-sectional and observational study, which limited our ability to determine causality of diet on semen quality parameters. wider implications of the findings: Our findings support the suggestion that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, chicken, fish and whole grains may be an inexpensive and safe way to improve at least one measure of semen quality. study funding/competing interests: The authors are supported by NIH grant T32DK007703-16 and P30DK46200 and European Union DEER Grant 212844. The authors have no competing interests to declare.
... Nutrients that were found to have a negative effect on reproduction outcome include saturated fat (12), trans fat (13), and alcohol (14). Consequently, relatively small number of studies have focused on food groups or dietary patterns in relation to fertility (15)(16)(17). ...
... The FFQ is a commonly used tool to obtain frequency and portion size information about food consumption over a specified period of time (15)(16)(17). All participants filled out a 111food-item FFQ validated for the Israeli population (42,43). ...
... Using defined known dietary indexes to analyze association with male fertility, as expressed by semen parameters, is novel, because most related studies to date investigated either single food components or specific food groups. A relatively small number of studies have used dietary patterns to investigate semen quality, mainly using a principle component analysis (PCA) approach (15)(16)(17)52). ...
Objective:
To study association of semen quality with a priori whole dietary pattern indexes, which reflect real-world dietary practices and the numerous combinations by which foods are consumed: Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), alternate Mediterranean Diet score (aMED), and Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI).
Design:
A cross-sectional single-center study.
Setting:
Hospital fertility center and university.
Patient(s):
A total of 280 men attending fertility center from 2012 to 2015.
Intervention(s):
Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and semen and sperm analysis.
Main outcome measure(s):
Food consumption with the use of FFQ and HEI, AHEI, aMED, DASH nutritional individual scoring indexes. Semen parameters, including semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, total count, and morphology.
Result(s):
Comparing the highest and lowest quartiles of the nutritional indexes, men in the highest quartiles of HEI, AHEI, aMed, and DASH indexes had significantly higher adjusted means of sperm concentration (by 10%, 45%, and 24% for HEI, AHEI, and DASH, respectively), normal sperm morphology (by 21% and 8% for AHEI and DASH, respectively), total sperm count (by 29% for AHEI), and sperm motility (by 6% and 11% for aMed and HEI, respectively).
Conclusion(s):
Adherence to any of the four dietary indexes is associated with better overall sperm quality, with AHEI best associated. Following our novel findings, we recommend using AHEI as a clinical and practical tool for public whole nutritional recommendation for semen quality.
... Of the 35 articles included, 31 (n = 12 672 participants) evaluated the effect of dietary patterns and food intake on sperm parameters and quality (Table I) (Goverde et al., 1995;Serra-Majem et al., 2003;Stutz et al., 2004;Eskenazi et al., 2005;Silver et al., 2005;Chavarro et al., 2008Chavarro et al., , 2014Young et al., 2008;Mendiola et al., 2009Mendiola et al., , 2010Vujkovic et al., 2009;Attaman et al., 2012;Braga et al., 2012;Eslamian et al., 2012Eslamian et al., , 2015Eslamian et al., , 2016Gaskins et al., 2012;Mínguez-Alarcón et al., 2012;Schmid et al., 2012;Afeiche et al., 2013Afeiche et al., , 2014aJensen et al., 2013Jensen et al., , 2014Zareba et al., 2013;Anifandis et al., 2014;Chiu et al., 2014;de Jong et al., 2014;Cutillas-Tolin et al., 2015;Karayiannis et al., 2016), and five (n = 13 125 participants) on fecundability (Table II) (Florack et al., 1994;Curtis et al., 1997;Olsen et al., 1997;Braga et al., 2012;Xia et al., 2015). It should be pointed out that the Braga et al. (2012) study is included in the two primary outcome groups: sperm parameters and fecundability of partners. ...
... Using data from the Rochester Young Men's Study (RYMS), a cross-sectional study conducted in 189 healthy young men in 2009-2010, five articles were published (Gaskins et al., 2012;Afeiche et al., 2013Afeiche et al., , 2014cZareba et al., 2013;Chiu et al., 2014). When participants were categorized by factor analysis, the 'Prudent' diet (characterized by a high intake of fish, chicken, fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains) was significantly associated with higher progressive sperm motility (but not with sperm concentration and morphology) while the 'Western' diet (characterized by high intake of red and processed meat, refined grains, pizza, snacks, high-energy drinks and sweets) was not (Gaskins et al., 2012). ...
... Using data from the Rochester Young Men's Study (RYMS), a cross-sectional study conducted in 189 healthy young men in 2009-2010, five articles were published (Gaskins et al., 2012;Afeiche et al., 2013Afeiche et al., , 2014cZareba et al., 2013;Chiu et al., 2014). When participants were categorized by factor analysis, the 'Prudent' diet (characterized by a high intake of fish, chicken, fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains) was significantly associated with higher progressive sperm motility (but not with sperm concentration and morphology) while the 'Western' diet (characterized by high intake of red and processed meat, refined grains, pizza, snacks, high-energy drinks and sweets) was not (Gaskins et al., 2012). As far as dietary antioxidants are concerned, lycopene intake was related to better sperm morphology, whereas a high intake of vitamin C from food sources alone was associated with a lower sperm concentration and sperm count (Zareba et al., 2013). ...
Background: Infertility is a global public health issue, affecting 15% of all couples of reproductive age. Male factors, including decreased semen quality, are responsible for ~25% of these cases. The dietary pattern, the components of the diet and nutrients have been studied as possible determinants of sperm function and/or fertility.
Objective and rationale: Previous systematic reviews have been made of the few heterogeneous low-quality randomized clinical trials (RCTs) conducted in small samples of participants and investigating the effect of specific nutrients and nutritional supplements on male infertility. However, as yet there has been no systematic review of observational studies.
Search methods: A comprehensive systematic review was made of the published literature, from the earliest available online indexing year to November 2016, in accordance with the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. We have included cross-sectional, case-control and prospective and retrospective studies in which fertile/infertile men were well defined (men with sperm disorders, sperm DNA damage, varicocele or idiopathic infertility). The primary outcomes were semen quality or fecundability. With the data extracted, we evaluated and scored the quality of the studies selected. We excluded RCTs, animal studies, review articles and low-quality studies.
Outcomes: A total of 1944 articles were identified, of which 35 were selected for qualitative analysis. Generally, the results indicated that healthy diets rich in some nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, some antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C, β-carotene, selenium, zinc, cryptoxanthin and lycopene), other vitamins (vitamin D and folate) and low in saturated fatty acids and trans-fatty acids were inversely associated with low semen quality parameters. Fish, shellfish and seafood, poultry, cereals, vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy and skimmed milk were positively associated with several sperm quality parameters. However, diets rich in processed meat, soy foods, potatoes, full-fat dairy and total dairy products, cheese, coffee, alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets have been detrimentally associated with the quality of semen in some studies. As far as fecundability is concerned, a high intake of alcohol, caffeine and red meat and processed meat by males has a negative influence on the chance of pregnancy or fertilization rates in their partners.
Wider implications: Male adherence to a healthy diet could improve semen quality and fecundability rates. Since observational studies may prove associations but not causation, the associations summarized in the present review need to be confirmed with large prospective cohort studies and especially with well-designed RCTs.
... We excluded six articles because they analyzed exclusively caffeine consumption, one because the analysis was on cooking methods, and one because it compared vegetarians and non-vegetarians without quantifying food group intakes. A total of 23 studies have been identified on the association between dietary components and semen parameters (Eskenazi et al., 2005;Chavarro et al., 2008Chavarro et al., , 2014Mendiola et al., 2009Mendiola et al., , 2010Vujkovic et al., 2009;Attaman et al., 2012;Braga et al., 2012;Eslamian et al., 2012Eslamian et al., , 2016Gaskins et al., 2012;Afeiche et al., 2013Afeiche et al., , 2014aJensen et al., 2013;Zareba et al., 2013;Chiu et al., 2014Chiu et al., , 2015Cutillas-Tol ın et al., 2015;Liu et al., 2015;M ınguez-Alarc on et al., 2015;Jurewicz et al., 2016). These 23 publications were based on 11 studies, conducted in samples of healthy men (5) or of patients attending Fertility Clinics (6). ...
... The Rochester Young Men's Study was conducted between 2009 and 2010 at the University of Rochester (Gaskins et al., 2012;Afeiche et al., 2013Afeiche et al., , 2014bZareba et al., 2013;Chiu et al., 2014), including men aged 18-22 years. Diet was assessed via a 131-item validated FFQ. ...
... In young healthy men (Gaskins et al., 2012), fruits and vegetables showed no effect on sperm parameters, although a slight beneficial effect was shown for cantaloupe on sperm motility. Consistently, in men from Fertility Clinics, motility was positively related to fruit intake (Braga et al., 2012) and vegetable intake, in particular, dark green vegetables (Eslamian et al., 2012). ...
... High consumption of red meat, processed meat, full-fat dairy, sweets, trans fatty acid, saturated fatty acid, and soy foods were associated with lower sperm quality (Cutillas-Tolín et al., 2015). In return, high intakes of fruits, vegetables, skim milk, seafood, and cereal were associated with healthy semen quality (Gaskins et al., 2012). In addition, some studies investigated the effects of individual nutrients such as folate (Wong et al., 2002), zinc (Wong et al., 2002), vitamin C (Piomboni et al., 2008, carotenoids (Eskenazi et al., 2005), vitamin E (Suleiman et al., 1996), and food groups (Attaman et al., 2012, Mendiola et al., 2009a) on semen quality. ...
... The results of these studies are contradictory, for example some studies indicated that the western dietary pattern which contains high fat dairy, processed meat, refined grains, pizza, and fried food could decrease the sperm concentration (Cutillas-Toĺn et al., 2015, Liu et al., 2015b, sperm motility (Eslamian et al., 2016b), and sperm morphology (Liu et al., 2015b); whereas, this result was not found in the other study (Oostingh et al., 2017b). We also observed conflicting results regarding the healthy dietary patterns (Eslamian et al., 2016a, Gaskins et al., 2012 such as prudent (Gaskins et al., 2012) and Mediterranean (Karayiannis et al., 2016) dietary patterns, which are determined by high level of low fat dairy, poultry, fish, vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. Some studies established that healthy dietary patterns could improve the semen quality (Cutillas-Toĺn et al., 2015, Jurewicz et al., 2016c, but others could not show the same result (Karayiannis et al., 2016, Vujkovic et al., 2009b. ...
... The results of these studies are contradictory, for example some studies indicated that the western dietary pattern which contains high fat dairy, processed meat, refined grains, pizza, and fried food could decrease the sperm concentration (Cutillas-Toĺn et al., 2015, Liu et al., 2015b, sperm motility (Eslamian et al., 2016b), and sperm morphology (Liu et al., 2015b); whereas, this result was not found in the other study (Oostingh et al., 2017b). We also observed conflicting results regarding the healthy dietary patterns (Eslamian et al., 2016a, Gaskins et al., 2012 such as prudent (Gaskins et al., 2012) and Mediterranean (Karayiannis et al., 2016) dietary patterns, which are determined by high level of low fat dairy, poultry, fish, vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. Some studies established that healthy dietary patterns could improve the semen quality (Cutillas-Toĺn et al., 2015, Jurewicz et al., 2016c, but others could not show the same result (Karayiannis et al., 2016, Vujkovic et al., 2009b. ...
Background: Previous studies have investigated the associations between dietary patterns and male infertility, but found contradictory results. So, this meta-analysis was conducted to examine the association between dietary patterns and male infertility. Methods: An electronic search was conducted to identify the studies over association between dietary patterns and male infertility. The western and healthy dietary patterns were selected in this regard. The random-effect model was used to compute the summary risk estimates. Results: We found eight articles, of which five (n = 7679 participants) were included in our meta-analysis. This meta-analysis determined that the western dietary patterns containing high levels of processed, meat, high-fat dairy, and low levels of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains could significantly reduce the sperm concentration (MD = -0.07, P = 0.01). However, no significant relationship was observed between this dietary pattern and the sperm motility and morphology (MD = 0.01, P = 0.71, MD = 0.2, P = 0.39, respectively). Moreover, regarding the healthy dietary pattern, which contains high level of fruit, vegetables, whole grain, low-fat dairy, as well as low level of red meat and processed food, no significant relationship was observed (sperm concentration: MD = 0.11, P = 0.11, morphology: MD = -0.02, P = 0.42 and motility: MD = 0.35, P = 0.09). Conclusions: Findings of our meta-analysis suggested that the western dietary patterns could decrease the sperm concentration and reduce male fertility. Further prospective studies are required to confirm this result.
... The observational studies examined whether there was an association between different dietary patterns, food groups or FA and fertility markers in semen ( Table 2). Nine of these studies investigated men from infertile or subfertile couples admitted to a fertility clinic (Mendiola et al., 2009;Vujkovic et al., 2009 Karayiannis et al., 2017;Jurewicz et al., 2018), and three studies examined the diet of young, healthy men (Gaskins et al., 2012;Jensen et al., 2013;Cutillas-Tolin et al., 2015). The 16 examined articles are presented in Tables 1 and 2. ...
... The results from the observational studies are in line with the results from the RTCs as they indicate that an overall healthy diet rich on omega-3 FA from fish and seafood is associated with increased quality markers in semen. Positive association with omega-3 FA were observed in the following parameters: reduced risk of asthenozoospermia (Eslamian et al., 2012(Eslamian et al., , 2015(Eslamian et al., , 2016, normal morphology (Attaman et al., 2012;Afeiche et al., 2014;Cutillas-Tolin et al., 2015), increased total sperm count (Afeiche et al., 2014;Karayiannis et al., 2017), concentration (Karayiannis et al., 2017;Jurewicz et al., 2018), motility (Gaskins et al., 2012;Karayiannis et al., 2017), volume (Jensen et al., 2013) and reduced sperm DNA fragmentation (Vujkovic et al., 2009;Jurewicz et al., 2018). The positive association seemed more pronounced among infertile men or men from couples attending fertility clinics compared to young, healthy men. ...
... The cross-sectional studies differ in terms of study populations as some studies (Vujkovic et al., 2009;Attaman et al., 2012;Afeiche et al., 2014;Karayiannis et al., 2017;Jurewicz et al., 2018) included men from fertility clinics with a mean age above 30 years, and a large proportion of the men had a BMI ≥ 25 kg/ m 2 . In contrast, others (Gaskins et al., 2012;Jensen et al., 2013;Cutillas-Tolin et al., 2015) included young, healthy men. Studies including men from the first group were more likely to find a positive association between omega-3 intake and multiple fertility markers in semen. ...
Background
Infertility affects about 15% of all couples worldwide. Male factors such as decreased semen quality contribute to around 40% of the cases. Recent reviews have shown that different foods and nutrients may improve semen quality.
Objectives
We conducted a systematic review in order to investigate whether intake of omega‐3 fatty acids can improve semen quality markers.
Materials and methods
A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane was conducted in adherence with the PRISMA guideline from the earliest available online indexing year to October 2018. Keywords related to male fertility or infertility was combined with words describing omega‐3 fatty acids and dietary fish intake. RCTs and observational studies on infertile and fertile men were included. Studies were considered eligible if they met the inclusion criteria, evaluated either the effect of omega‐3 fatty acids or dietary fish intake and had semen quality as primary outcome.
Results
Thousand and seventy four records were screened, and sixteen studies were ultimately included. Fourteen of the included studies found an improvement or association between omega‐3 and at least one semen quality marker. As the studies were very inhomogeneous in participants (fertile/infertile, age, BMI, ethnicity etc), no meta‐analysis was performed.
Discussion
The findings in this review are limited by the few available RCTs. Furthermore, RCTs were very heterogenetic according to study population, sample size, dosage of omega‐3, and durations of follow up. Results from the observational studies might have been affected by recall bias and confounded by lifestyle factors.
Conclusion
Based on the findings in this review, omega‐3 supplements and dietary intake of omega‐3 might improve semen quality parameters in infertile men and men from couples seeking fertility treatment. However, more research is required in order to fully clarify the effect of omega‐3 on semen quality and research with fecundity as end point is needed.
... Declining semen quality is an ongoing controversy in male reproductive health (Swan et al., 2000;Jørgensen et al., 2002;Carlsen et al., 2005;Axelsson et al., 2011;Rolland et al., 2013;Levine et al. 2017). Several potential culprits have been suggested as explanations for reported trends in semen quality or altered reproductive hormone levels, including concurrent trends in decreased physical activity and increase in sedentary behavior (Gaskins et al., 2012;Priskorn et al., 2016), obesity (Sermondade et al., 2013), exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (Adoamnei et al., 2018a,b) or change in diet quality (Attaman et al., 2012;Salas-Huetos et al., 2017). The impact of diet on semen quality is, however, still poorly resolved (Mínguez-Alarcón et al., 2018). ...
... Several studies have reported associations between intake of isolated micro or macronutrients, food groups or a posteriori dietary patterns and semen quality and reproductive hormone levels (Mendiola et al., 2009;Vujkovic et al., 2009;Mendiola et al., 2010;Gaskins et al., 2012;Mínguez-Alarcón et al., 2012;Afeiche et al., 2013;Zareba et al., 2013;Afeiche et al., 2014;Chavarro et al., 2014;Chiu et al., 2015;Cutillas-Tolín et al., 2015;Liu et al., 2015;Abbasihormozi et al., 2017;Mínguez-Alarcón et al., 2017;Oostingh et al., 2017;Tiseo et al., 2017;Jurewicz et al., 2018;Adoamnei et al., 2019). A posteriori dietary pattern approach processes the gathered dietary information through multivariate statistical methods, such as principal component analysis (PCA) (Gaskins et al., 2012;Cutillas-Tolín et al., 2015;Liu et al., 2015;Jurewicz et al., 2018;Oostingh et al., 2017). ...
... Several studies have reported associations between intake of isolated micro or macronutrients, food groups or a posteriori dietary patterns and semen quality and reproductive hormone levels (Mendiola et al., 2009;Vujkovic et al., 2009;Mendiola et al., 2010;Gaskins et al., 2012;Mínguez-Alarcón et al., 2012;Afeiche et al., 2013;Zareba et al., 2013;Afeiche et al., 2014;Chavarro et al., 2014;Chiu et al., 2015;Cutillas-Tolín et al., 2015;Liu et al., 2015;Abbasihormozi et al., 2017;Mínguez-Alarcón et al., 2017;Oostingh et al., 2017;Tiseo et al., 2017;Jurewicz et al., 2018;Adoamnei et al., 2019). A posteriori dietary pattern approach processes the gathered dietary information through multivariate statistical methods, such as principal component analysis (PCA) (Gaskins et al., 2012;Cutillas-Tolín et al., 2015;Liu et al., 2015;Jurewicz et al., 2018;Oostingh et al., 2017). ...
Study question:
Is adherence to an a priori defined diet quality indices [Alternate Healthy Index 2010 (AHEI-2010), relative Mediterranean diet score (rMED) or dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH)] associated with semen quality and reproductive hormone levels in young men?
Summary answer:
Greater adherence to the DASH diet is related to higher sperm counts.
What is known already:
Studies assessing the relationship between dietary intake and male reproductive function have mainly been focused on specific nutrients, food groups or data-driven dietary patterns, but the evidence on a priori defined dietary indices is still scarce.
Study design, size, duration:
Cross-sectional study of 209 male university students recruited from October 2010 to November 2011 in Murcia Region (Southern Spain).
Participants/materials, setting, methods:
Healthy young men aged 18-23 years were included in this study. Diet was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire and three a priori-defined dietary indices (AHEI-2010, rMED and DASH) were calculated. Linear regression was used to analyze the relation between the three dietary indices and semen quality parameters and reproductive hormone levels accounting for potential confounders and covariates.
Main results and the role of chance:
We found statistically significant positive associations between the DASH index and sperm concentration (P, trend = 0.04), total sperm count (P, trend = 0.04) and total motile sperm count (P, trend = 0.02). No associations were observed for other semen parameters or male reproductive hormones.
Limitations, reasons for caution:
Even though we adjusted for several known and suspected confounders we cannot exclude the possibility of residual or unmeasured confounding or chance findings. Subjects were blinded to the study outcomes thus reducing the potential influence on their report of diet. Our sample size may be too small to rule out associations with other semen parameters or reproductive hormones. Causal inference is limited, as usual with all observational studies.
Wider implications of the findings:
The results suggest that greater adherence to the DASH may help improve sperm counts. This study was carried out on young men from the general population. However, results may differ among other populations (e.g. infertile men). Therefore, further research is needed to confirm these findings and extend these results to other populations.
Study funding/competing interest(s):
This work was supported by Fundación Séneca, grants No 08808/PI/08 and No 19443/PI/14; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (AES), grants No PI10/00985 and No PI13/01237; and grant P30DK046200 from the National Institutes of Health. Authors have no competing interests to declare.
... Although there are many confounding factors, increasing evidence suggests nutrition has an independent role in semen quality and male reproductive potential (Gaskins et al., 2012). Modern 'Westernised' diets are characterised by energy-dense, refined and nutritionally poor foods, including high-energy sugars, trans-fatty and hydrolysed fatty acids, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and processed foods, alongside reduced intake of fruits and vegetables, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, important micronutrients, antioxidants and phyto-compounds (Eslamian et al., 2016). ...
... Consumption of red meat, rich in saturated fatty acids, has been associated with impaired semen parameters (Giahi, Mohammadmoradi, Javidan, & Sadeghi, 2015) and the impairment of sperm count and motility in a dose-dependent manner (Gaskins et al., 2012;Jensen et al., 2012;Mendiola et al., 2009). Increased dairy intake is also associated with oligoasthenozoospermia and asthenozoospermia, although a recommended threshold has not been determined (Oostingh et al., 2017). ...
... Furthermore, the adherence to the Mediterranean, or similar, dietary patterns is associated with improved semen quality. This includes diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fibre, seafood, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils, and including antioxidant-rich plant-based foods (Gaskins et al., 2012;Karayiannis et al., 2017). Micronutrients particularly beneficial to male fertility include carotenes, ascorbic acid, tocopherols, selenium zinc, L-arginine and co-enzyme Q10 (Giahi et al., 2015). ...
Alongside an increasing prevalence of couple and male infertility, evidence suggests there is a global declining trend in male fertility parameters over the past few decades. This may, at least in part, be explained through detrimental lifestyle practices and exposures. These include alcohol and tobacco consumption, use of recreational drugs (e.g., cannabis, opioids and anabolic steroids), poor nutritional habits, obesity and metabolic syndrome, genital heat stress (e.g., radiation exposure through cell phones and laptops, prolonged periods of sitting, tight‐fitting underwear and recurrent hot baths or saunas), exposure to endocrine‐disrupting chemicals (e.g., pesticide residue, bisphenol A, phthalates and dioxins) and psychological stress. This review discusses these lifestyle practices and the current evidence associated with male infertility. Furthermore, known mechanisms of action are also discussed for each of these. Common mechanisms associated with a reduction in spermatogenesis and/or steroidogenesis due to unfavourable lifestyle practices include inflammation and oxidative stress locally or systemically. It is recommended that relevant lifestyle practices are investigated in clinical history of male infertility cases, particularly in unexplained or idiopathic male infertility. Appropriate modification of detrimental lifestyle practices is further suggested and recommended in the management of male infertility.
... Although there are many confounding factors, increasing evidence suggests nutrition has an independent role in semen quality and male reproductive potential (Gaskins et al., 2012). Modern 'Westernised' diets are characterised by energy-dense, refined and nutritionally poor foods, including high-energy sugars, trans-fatty and hydrolysed fatty acids, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and processed foods, alongside reduced intake of fruits and vegetables, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, important micronutrients, antioxidants and phyto-compounds (Eslamian et al., 2016). ...
... Consumption of red meat, rich in saturated fatty acids, has been associated with impaired semen parameters (Giahi, Mohammadmoradi, Javidan, & Sadeghi, 2015) and the impairment of sperm count and motility in a dose-dependent manner (Gaskins et al., 2012;Jensen et al., 2012;Mendiola et al., 2009). Increased dairy intake is also associated with oligoasthenozoospermia and asthenozoospermia, although a recommended threshold has not been determined (Oostingh et al., 2017). ...
... Furthermore, the adherence to the Mediterranean, or similar, dietary patterns is associated with improved semen quality. This includes diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fibre, seafood, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils, and including antioxidant-rich plant-based foods (Gaskins et al., 2012;Karayiannis et al., 2017). Micronutrients particularly beneficial to male fertility include carotenes, ascorbic acid, tocopherols, selenium zinc, L-arginine and co-enzyme Q10 (Giahi et al., 2015). ...
... Many studies which examine the relationship between nutrition and sperm quality stressed the importance of the intake of vitamins A, C, E, in addition to folate as well as zinc in the form of supplements while very few studies focused on the effect of dietary patterns or nutrient groups. It was reported that the consumption of processed and fatty meat products [14][15][16] , dairy products 17,18 , and sugary foods 19,20 reduce sperm quality whereas the consumption of fruits and vegetables 16,18,19,21 , whole grain cereals in addition to whole grain products 16,21 , lean or low-fat dairy products [17][18][19]22 , along with fish and poultry 15,19,21 increase sperm quality. Another factor determined to be effective on male infertility is body weight. ...
... Many studies which examine the relationship between nutrition and sperm quality stressed the importance of the intake of vitamins A, C, E, in addition to folate as well as zinc in the form of supplements while very few studies focused on the effect of dietary patterns or nutrient groups. It was reported that the consumption of processed and fatty meat products [14][15][16] , dairy products 17,18 , and sugary foods 19,20 reduce sperm quality whereas the consumption of fruits and vegetables 16,18,19,21 , whole grain cereals in addition to whole grain products 16,21 , lean or low-fat dairy products [17][18][19]22 , along with fish and poultry 15,19,21 increase sperm quality. Another factor determined to be effective on male infertility is body weight. ...
... Many studies which examine the relationship between nutrition and sperm quality stressed the importance of the intake of vitamins A, C, E, in addition to folate as well as zinc in the form of supplements while very few studies focused on the effect of dietary patterns or nutrient groups. It was reported that the consumption of processed and fatty meat products [14][15][16] , dairy products 17,18 , and sugary foods 19,20 reduce sperm quality whereas the consumption of fruits and vegetables 16,18,19,21 , whole grain cereals in addition to whole grain products 16,21 , lean or low-fat dairy products [17][18][19]22 , along with fish and poultry 15,19,21 increase sperm quality. Another factor determined to be effective on male infertility is body weight. ...
This study aimed to investigate the difference between infertile men and healthy (normozoospermic) men in terms of demographic characteristics, dietary habits, anthropometric measurements, and body composition. We included 80 males (40 subfertile and 40 healthy normozoospermic) between the ages of 25 and 54 years. Information was obtained from the participants regarding their socio-demographic characteristics, health status, dietary habits, and food intake. Food frequency questionnaires, food records, anthropometric measurements, body composition, and sperm analysis were statistically evaluated using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 programme. The findings of this study showed that the mean BMI of the subfertile group was significantly higher than that of the normozoospermic group. The frequency of eating out was significantly higher in the subfertile group than in the normozoospermic group. It was also determined that the consumption of fish was significantly lower; in contrast, consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, and alcohol was significantly higher in the subfertile group than in the normozoospermic group. Moreover, it was found that sugar sweetened bevareges, red meat, organ meats consumption are negatively; and that fish, egg, nut consumption are positively correlated with sperm parameters. In summary, in men receiving infertility treatment, excessive consumption of meat and sugary drinks should be considered cautiously. However, fish, nuts and eggs consumption should be provided in line with the nutrition guidelines.
... Previous epidemiological work suggests that paternal dietary patterns associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions [11][12][13], such as the Mediterranean diet and the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet may be positively associated with semen quality. On the other hand, dietary patterns favoring intakes of red and processed meats, animal fat, refined grains, and sweets-which have been related to a higher risk of noncommunicable chronic diseases [14]-may affect negatively semen quality [15][16][17][18][19][20]. However, semen parameters are not perfectly correlated with a couple's fertility [21,22]. ...
... Hence, it is important that this question is revisited in additional studies. The finding that higher adherence to Dietary Pattern 1 was associated with higher sperm concentration stands in contrast with several observational studies suggesting that male adherence to dietary patterns linked to higher chronic disease risk could also have a negative impact on semen quality [17,41,42], whereas the opposite appears to be the case for adherence to diet patterns previously related to lower risk of chronic comorbidities [15][16][17][18][41][42][43]. A possible reason for the observed relation and the inconsistency with previous literature may be reverse causation. ...
Purpose(s)To evaluate the relationship of men’s dietary patterns with outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF).Methods
This is a prospective cohort study including 231 couples with 407 IVF cycles, presented at an academic fertility center from April 2007 to April 2018. We assessed diet with a validated food frequency questionnaire and identified Dietary Pattern 1 and Dietary Pattern 2 using principal component analysis. We evaluated adjusted probability of IVF outcomes across the quartiles of the adherence to two dietary patterns by generalized linear mixed models.ResultsMen had a median age of 36.8 years and BMI of 26.9 kg/m2. Women’s median age and BMI were 35.0 years and 23.1 kg/m2, respectively. Adherence to Dietary Pattern 1 (rPearson=0.44) and Dietary Pattern 2 (rPearson=0.54) was positively correlated within couples. Adherence to Dietary Pattern 1 was positively associated with sperm concentration. A 1-unit increase in this pattern was associated with a 13.33 (0.71–25.96) million/mL higher sperm concentration. However, neither Dietary Pattern 1 nor Dietary Pattern 2 was associated with fertilization, implantation, clinical pregnancy, or live birth probabilities.Conclusions
Data-derived dietary patterns were associated with semen quality but unrelated to the probability of successful IVF outcomes.
... A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of six observational studies [30][31][32][33][34][35] assessing the association between some a posteriori dietary patterns defined by factor analysis, and semen quality concluded that healthy eating patterns might have a positive association with sperm concentration, but not with other classical sperm quality parameters 14 . However, due to the small sample size and heterogeneity of the studies, the authors recommended caution in the interpretation of the results. ...
... Only one study has demonstrated that adherence to a healthy dietary pattern is associated to sperm motility in a posteriori analysis. In the context of the Rochester Young Men's cohort, adherence to a Prudent diet identified by factor analysis rich in fish, chicken, fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains was positively associated with progressive sperm motility 33 . ...
The aim of this cross-sectional analysis is to investigate the associations between the adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and semen quality parameters. To assess the adherence to the MD, the Trichopoulou score was used. Semen parameters were assessed as described in the 2010 WHO’s report and the results are showed across tertiles of MD adherence. A total of 106 participants were included. Compared to those in the lowest MD adherence tertile, participants in the top tertile had statistically significant higher BMI and waist circumference and consumed more energy, and also had statistically significant higher semen pH, and total sperm motility and progressive sperm motility percentages, and lower sperm immotility percentages. Moreover, percentage of total and progressive motility were significantly higher among those subjects in the higher adherence to MD in comparison with those in low-medium adherence category. The multivariable linear regression models evaluating the relationship between the sperm quality parameters and tertiles of MD adherence adjusted by age, energy and BMI showed that compared with the lowest tertile, men in the highest tertile had a higher percentage of total sperm motility [β non-standardized coefficient = 12.785]. These findings suggest
that adherence to the MD was positively associated with sperm motility.
... Males: Healthy dietary patterns [e.g., Mediterranean and Prudent diets (MedDiet and PD, respectively)] have been associated with better sperm quality parameters in a wide range of studies in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia (Amaral et al., 2014). However, the Western diet (WestDiet) characterized by a high intake of red and processed meat, refined grains, snacks, highenergy drinks, and sweets was unrelated to conventional semen quality parameters (Gaskins et al., 2012). The MedDiet is characterized by high intake of olive oil, nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and whole cereals, moderate intake of fish, poultry, and wine, and low intake of dairy products, red or processed meats, and sweets. ...
... The MedDiet is characterized by high intake of olive oil, nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and whole cereals, moderate intake of fish, poultry, and wine, and low intake of dairy products, red or processed meats, and sweets. The PD is also characterized by a high intake of fruits, vegetables, chicken, fish, legumes, and whole grains (Gaskins et al., 2012). A study by Jurewicz et al. (2018) showed that PD has a positive association with increased sperm concentration, higher levels of testosterone (TT) and decreased deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation index. ...
Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after 12 months of unprotected intercourse or six months for women aged 35 years or older. The physical, emotional, psychological, and financial statuses of infertile couples are tremendously affected especially after undergoing diagnostic and/or curative treatments. Human fertility is influenced by multiple factors including female or male, and modifiable or non-modifiable factors. There is growing evidence that nutri-tion may play an important role in adjusting fertility-related outcomes in both men and women. The objective of our study was to summarize the latest data on nutritional factors (specific food groups, nutrients, and nutritional supplements) that have an impact on female or male sexual and reproductive function. PubMed and Google Scholar platforms were used to collect appropriate articles for the review using several combinations of keywords (infertility, diet, dietary supplements, antioxidants, and beverages). Adherence to a healthy dietary pattern favoring fish, poultry, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, was related to better fertility in both genders. Despite the multifactorial etiology of sexual infertility, nutrition may affect the sexual/reproductive function in both women and men.
... Similar dietary intake of antioxidant-rich foods, particularly those found in the Mediterranean diet, are also associated with better fertility outcomes. These include diets rich in b-carotenes; folate; vitamins C, D, and E; selenium; zinc; and lycopene [94,95]. ...
... Adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been shown to improve semen parameters in males, and those with least adherence have increased risk of reduced sperm concentration and motility [97]. Additionally, fish, shellfish, and seafood are associated positively with sperm quality parameters [94,95]. However, causality has not been demonstrated for these findings. ...
... "Unhealthy" diets -plentiful in red and processed meat, sweet and sweetened beverages, refined grains and snacks -affect fertility by impairing spermatogenesis, increasing sperm DNA damage and www.wjmh.org reducing both sperm motility and concentration [73][74][75][76]. Higher intake of food rich in saturated and trans fatty acids enhances their accumulation in the testicular environment leading to poor semen quality, lower testicular volume and low T synthesis [77][78][79][80]. ...
... Conversely, Mediterranean and "Prudent" diets, overall considered healthy dietary patterns, rich in seafood, lean meat, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, have been consistently associated with better semen parameters. Their abundance in micronutrients, which include folate and zinc, antioxidant compounds and omega-3 fatty acids, improve spermatogenesis by increasing sperm motility [75,[81][82][83]. Effects of paternal weight excess upon their progeny also include fetal growth retardation and child metabolic dysregulation resulting in obesity and type I diabetes via neuronatrin hypomethylation [84,85]. ...
Paternal health and behavioral lifestyles affect reproductive and neonatal outcomes and yet the magnitude of these effects remain underestimated. Even though these impacts have been formally recognized as a central aspect of reproductive health, health care services in Europe often neglect the involvement of fathers in their reproductive programs. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for systematic reviews, a literature search was carried out to assess the possible impact of paternal health on reproductive outcomes. The comprehensive strategy included cohort studies and meta-analysis available on PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Google scholar. Cross-referencing of bibliographies of the selected papers ensured wider study capture. Paternal factors were grouped into two categories respectively identified with the terms “Biological Paternal Factors” and “Lifestyle Paternal Factors”. Advanced age may impair male fertility and affect early pregnancy stages. Increased body mass index, smoking, alcohol and recreational drugs, all alter seminal fluid parameters. Hazardous alcohol use correlates with low birthweight in pregnancy and harmful behavioral lifestyles have been linked to congenital heart defects, metabolic and neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring. Measures targeting paternal health and lifestyle within the first 1,000 days' timeframe need to be implemented in couples undergoing reproductive decisions. Health professionals, as well as future fathers, must be aware of the benefits for the offspring associated with correct paternal behaviors. More research is needed to build guidelines and to implement specific programs aiming at reproductive health promotion.
Keywords:
Fertility; Life style; Long term adverse effects; Maternal health; Paternal exposure
... A Spanish and a USA cross-sectional study among young university students confirmed positive associations between energy-adjusted nutrient intake of antioxidants and semen volume, concentration, motility, and morphology [20], and between a diet rich in fish, chicken, fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains and sperm progressive motility [21]. The effects of diet may be explained through the antioxidant mechanisms of various nutrients, because high levels of oxidative stress are correlated with low semen quality, especially low sperm motility, and with high levels of DNA damage [22,23]. ...
Background
Human semen quality is affected by lifestyle and environmental factors.
Objective
To evaluate the short-term effects of a diet and physical activity intervention on semen quality of healthy young men living in highly polluted areas of Italy.
Design, setting, and participants
A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Healthy young men were assigned to an intervention or a control group.
Intervention
A 4-mo Mediterranean diet and moderate physical activity program.
Outcome measurements and statistical analysis
The primary outcomes were sperm concentration, motility and morphology, concentration of round cells, and semen total antioxidant capacity. Secondary outcomes were adherence to Mediterranean diet and physical activity. All outcomes were measured twice, at the enrollment (t0) and at the end of the intervention (t4).
Results and limitations
A total of 263 individuals attended all visits, and underwent examinations and laboratory analyses: 137 in the intervention group and 126 in the control group. The adherence to Mediterranean diet and physical activity level increased more in the intervention group than in the control group from t0 to t4. Sperm concentration, total and progressive motility, and proportion of normal morphology cells increased in the intervention group but decreased in the control group, with statistically significant differences between the two groups at t4. The total antioxidant capacity increased in the intervention group but decreased in the control group, from t0 to t4.
Conclusions
Study results showed that an intervention based on Mediterranean diet and regular physical activity can determine an improvement of semen quality in healthy young men.
Patient summary
Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of a lifestyle intervention on semen quality of healthy young men. We assigned the 263 enrolled individuals to an intervention or a control group. The intervention group followed a 4-mo Mediterranean diet and moderate physical activity program, at the end of which the participants showed an improvement of semen quality parameters.
... Relationships between 'unhealthy' dietary patterns, including 'Western' and 'Traditional Dutch' dietary patterns, and sperm concentration have been shown in other studies to vary from positive (Vujkovic et al., 2009), none (Gaskins et al., 2012;Jurewicz et al., 2016;Oostingh et al., 2017) to negative (Cutillas-Tol ın et al., 2015;Liu et al., 2015) associations. Furthermore, a 'Healthy' diet was shown to have a positive association with sperm concentration in two studies (Oostingh et al., 2017;Efrat et al., 2018), a negative association in another (Karayiannis et al., 2016), while a further five studies found no relationships. ...
Background
Controversial speculation suggestions that dietary intake may affect semen quality and testicular function, however, there are limited comprehensive studies observing dietary patterns.
Objective
To study associations between major dietary patterns and markers of testicular function in adulthood.
Material and Methods
Observational cross‐sectional study of two hundred and ninety men with an average age of 20 years, from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study.
Usual dietary intake assessed using a semi‐quantitative food frequency questionnaire at 20 years of age. Two dietary patterns previously identified using exploratory factor analysis (“Healthy” or “Western”) and participants received z‐scores for each dietary pattern. Primary endpoints were testicular volume, total sperm per ejaculate, morning serum testosterone concentration. Secondary endpoints were semen sample parameters, inhibin B and sex steroids (DHT: 3α‐diol, 3β‐diol; LH; FSH; DHEA; estradiol; estrone).
Result(s)
Participants were on average 20.0 ± 0.4 years old, had a median of 2 days sexual abstinence and a body mass index of 24.1 ± 3.9 kg/m², 13% were smokers, 52% were ‘moderate’ alcohol drinkers, 23% frequently used recreational drugs and 68% reported ‘high’ physical activity levels. Sperm concentration and DHT 3α‐diol were negatively associated with a greater z‐score for the “Western” dietary pattern (p = 0.007 and; p = 0.044, respectively), and serum estradiol concentration was positively associated with a “Western” dietary pattern (p = 0.007) after adjustment for BMI, varicocele, cryptorchidism and sexual abstinence.
Discussion
Despite associations between greater intake of the “Western” dietary pattern and a decreased male reproductive health markers, our lack of consistent associations of either a “Healthy” or a “Western” dietary pattern, limit clinical or biological significance in isolation.
Conclusions
A potential negative association of a “Western” dietary pattern with male reproductive health was detected and should be studied further in population‐based studies.
... 19 Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to derive food patterns based on 40 predefined food groups. 20 The 'Prudent" pattern was characterized by high intakes of fish, fruits, cruciferous vegetables, yellow vegetables, tomatoes, leafy green vegetables, and legumes; The "Western" pattern was characterized by high intakes of processed meat, full-fat dairy, fries, refined grains, pizza, and mayonnaise. All participants were given a score for each pattern according to their adherence to these patterns. ...
Background:
Randomized trials of supplementation with antioxidant mixtures during infertility treatment show no benefit on pregnancy or live birth rate. However, the roles of individual antioxidants are poorly understood. We examined the association of baseline intake of vitamins A, C, E, and carotenoids with outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies (ART).
Methods:
We followed 349 women undergoing a total of 588 ART cycles for infertility treatment at the Massachusetts General Hospital. We assessed antioxidant intakes from food and supplements before treatment using a validated food frequency questionnaire. We used generalized linear mixed models to account for multiple ART cycles per woman while adjusting for confounding.
Results:
Mean (SD) age and body mass index were 35.1 (4.0) years and 24.1 (4.3) kg/m. Total intake of vitamins A, C, and E were not associated with the probability of live birth. Women in the highest intake category of β-carotene from foods had a lower probability of live birth than women in the lowest intake quartile (50% vs 22%; p-trend=0.03); for lutein and zeaxanthin, the probability for the highest intake group was 44% vs 28% for the lowest). Intake of β-carotene from supplements and intakes of retinol and all other carotenoids was unrelated to live birth rates.
Conclusions:
We found unexpected inverse associations of β-carotene intake from foods and of lutein and zeaxanthin intake with live birth rates. Within the observed intake ranges, total consumption of vitamins A, C, and E prior to starting infertility treatment with ART were not associated with live birth rates.
... In spite of the overall low prevalence of overweight and obesity in the studied sample, results indicate that university students would possibly benefit from a nutrition and health promotion program to improve students eating habits. Overweight and obesity increased among Bangladeshi women of reproductive [17], Socio-demographic factors [18] including age, education, wealth index [19], marital status whatever university students are more Concious about their weight rather than health. ...
Purpose: The dietary habits of young adults have been affected; thus, overweight and obesity are increasingly being observed among the young. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity on a sample of students from the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and to examine their eating habits. Short Research Article Rana et al.; AFSJ, 6(4): 1-10, 2019; Article no.AFSJ.46462 2 Background: In the past year BAU has been experiencing a nutritional transition in food decisions from the everyday diet to the alimentation pattern. As a consequence, the dietary habits of young adults have been affected with progressive overweight and obesity .The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence on a sample of MS stidents from BAU and to look at their uptake habits. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 146 students were chosen randomly from the BAU throughout the JJ/2018 semester. With a 7 Days twenty four Hour Food frequency questionnaire where their Height, weight, dietary habits, Body mass index (BMI) were recorded. Statistical analyses were performed exploitation the Statistical Package for Social Sciences computer code (version 22.0) to determine overweight and obesity among students and to categorize uptake habits of food. Results: This study showed that the majority of the students (80.4%) were of normal weight (80.8% male students compared to 80% female students). The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 9.1% and 2.3% respectively .In contrast, 15.0% female students were underweight as compared to 3.8% males. Eating habits of the students showed that the majority (61.4%) reported taking meals regularly. There was a colored vegetable and fruits were intake scarcity among students. A total of 30.5% reported daily intake of colored vegetables with gender differences (P=.003) (31.5% females vs. 29.2% males). These prevalence rates were greater in girls than boys. There were no clear associations observed between dietary habits and measures of overweight and obesity. Conclusion: The overall low prevalence of overweight and obesity in the studied sample, indicate that university students would possibly benefit from nutrition and health promotion program to improve student's eating habits. There is a Significant differences observed among food type and frequency of consumption.
... The Western pattern was inversely associated with total sperm count (although this finding was limited to a subgroup of obese men), whereas the Mediterranean pattern showed a positive relationship (P for trend = 0.04) with this parameter. In another study on young healthy men (Gaskins et al., 2012), the "Prudent" pattern, characterized by high intake of fish, chicken, fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, was positively associated with percent progressively motile spermatozoa. Men in the highest quartile of the Prudent diet had higher progressively motile spermatozoa compared with men in the lowest quartile. ...
Background
Several diet patterns have been suggested as involved in processes of spermatogenesis and thus in male subfertility. To study the relation between Mediterranean diet and abnormal sperm parameters in men of subfertile couples, we performed a cross‐sectional analysis of baseline data from a prospective cohort study.
Methods
Patients were enrolled in an Italian Fertility Clinic. Couples undergoing assisted reproduction techniques (ART) were interviewed to obtain information on personal and health history, lifestyle habits, and diet, on the day of oocyte retrieval. On the same day, a semen sample was also collected and analyzed to proceed with ART. Adherence to Mediterranean diet was evaluated using a Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for semen volume <1.5 mL, sperm concentration <15 mil/mL, and total count <39 mil.
Results
Three hundred nine men, age range 27–60, were enrolled: 19.3% had semen volume < 1.5 mL, 30.5% sperm concentration <15 mil/mL, and 32.1% total count <39 mil. MDS was low (0–3) in 86 men (27.8%), intermediate (4–5) in 131 (42.4%), and high (6–9) in 92 (29.8%). Semen volume was not associated with MDS. Compared to the highest MDS category (6–9), the ORs for low sperm concentration were 1.34 (95% CI 0.69–2.50) for MDS 4–5 and 2.42 (95% CI 1.21–4.83) for MDS 0–3, with significant trend (p = 0.011). The corresponding estimates for total count were 1.26 (95% CI 0.66–2.42) and 2.08 (95% CI 1.05–4.12), with significant trend (p = 0.034). These findings were consistent in strata of history of reproductive organ diseases.
Conclusions
Mediterranean Diet Score was positively associated with normal sperm concentration and total count, but not with semen volume.
... A few studies assessing the effect of a diet enriched with omega-3 PUFAs, either as a standalone parameter or as part of a 'prudent' or 'healthy' diet (such as the Mediterranean diet), on sperm quality have been conducted. These studies demonstrated a positive correlation with total sperm count (Afeiche et al., 2014;Karayiannis et al., 2017), morphology (Attaman et al., 2012;Afeiche et al., 2014;Karayiannis et al., 2017), higher progressive sperm motility (Eslamian et al., 2012;Gaskins et al., 2012;Karayiannis et al., 2017) and less sperm DNA fragmentation (Vujkovic et al., 2009). No studies have assessed clinical outcome and chance of pregnancy in couples with male infertility, in relation to a diet enriched with omega-3 PUFAs. ...
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential fatty acids, derived mostly from fish oil, that have a significant anti-inflammatory effect. Data from animal studies support their role in the reproductive mechanism, and recent human studies suggest a positive effect on sperm quality and natural conception. Their general role in human fertility, and specifically in IVF treatment, however, is not clear. A few small, prospective cohort studies have examined the relationship between serum PUFAs and outcome measures and success in IVF, with conflicting results. Some have demonstrated a better chance of live birth with increased levels of serum omega-3 PUFAs, whereas others have failed to show such a correlation, and the reasons for such differences are not clear. Moreover, no well-designed, published studies have assessing whether the administration of omega-3 PUFAs before IVF treatment can improve clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. The development of safe and well-tolerated pharmaceutical forms of the active omega-3 PUFAs, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), mean that assessment of this question is now possible and future studies are warranted.
... In spite of the overall low prevalence of overweight and obesity in the studied sample, results indicate that university students would possibly benefit from a nutrition and health promotion program to improve students eating habits. Overweight and obesity increased among Bangladeshi women of reproductive [17], Socio-demographic factors [18] including age, education, wealth index [19], marital status whatever university students are more Concious about their weight rather than health. ...
The prevalence rates of overweight or obesity in BAUian youth are Very Low. The results suggest that Poor Diet and Tendency to Obese strongly related to obesity inBAUian adolescents.
... To address the possibility of residual confounding owing to overall dietary behavior, we identified 2 data-derived dietary patterns using principal component analysis based on the intake of all foods in the questionnaire excluding meats and other protein-rich foods (31). The patterns identified were similar to those previously identified in this population using the full food intake data: the "prudent pattern" (characterized by intakes of fruits, cruciferous vegetables, yellow vegetables, tomatoes, wine, and leafy green vegetables) and the "Western pattern" (characterized by high intakes of liquor and beer, high-fat dairy, fries, refined grains, sweets, pizza, and mayonnaise). ...
Background:
Some dietary factors have been linked to outcomes of infertility treatment with assisted reproductive technology (ART), but the role of intake of meats and other protein-rich foods remains unclear.
Objective:
The aim of this manuscript was to study the relation between preconception intake of meat and other protein-rich foods and outcomes of infertility treatment with ART.
Design:
A total of 351 women enrolled in a prospective cohort at the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center and underwent 598 ART cycles for infertility treatment. Meat intake was assessed with a validated food-frequency questionnaire, and ART outcomes were abstracted from electronic medical records. We estimated the associations between intake of protein-rich foods (meats, eggs, beans, nuts, and soy) and the outcome of live birth per initiated cycle using generalized linear mixed models.
Results:
The average total meat intake was 1.2 servings/d, with most coming from poultry (35%), fish (25%), processed meat (22%), and red meat (17%). Fish intake was positively related to the proportion of cycles resulting in live birth. The multivariable-adjusted probabilities of live birth for women in increasing quartiles of fish intake were 34.2% (95% CI: 26.5%, 42.9%), 38.4% (95% CI: 30.3%, 47.3%), 44.7% (95% CI: 36.3%, 53.4%), and 47.7% (95% CI: 38.3%, 57.3%), respectively (P-trend = 0.04). In the estimated substitution analyses, the ORs of live birth associated with increasing fish intake by 2 servings/wk were 1.54 (95% CI: 1.14, 2.07) when fish replaced any other meat, 1.50 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.98) when fish replaced any other protein-rich food, and 1.64 (95% CI: 1.14, 2.35) when fish replaced processed meat.
Conclusions:
Fish consumption is related to a higher probability of live birth following infertility treatment with ART. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00011713.
... Diet composition also affects sperm function and quality [98,99]. In obese mice, a diet and/or exercise regime helped to restore sperm parameters, even if obesity was sustained [100]. ...
Overweight, obesity, and their comorbidities remain global health challenges. When established early in life, overweight is often sustained into adulthood and contributes to the early onset of non-communicable diseases. Parental pre-conception overweight and obesity is a risk factor for overweight and obesity in childhood and beyond. This increased risk likely is based on an interplay of genetic alterations and environmental exposures already at the beginning of life, although mechanisms are still poorly defined. In this narrative review, potential routes of transmission of pre-conceptional overweight/obesity from mothers and fathers to their offspring as well as prevention strategies are discussed. Observational evidence suggests that metabolic changes due to parental overweight/obesity affect epigenetic markers in oocytes and sperms alike and may influence epigenetic programming and reprogramming processes during embryogenesis. While weight reduction in overweight/obese men and women, who plan to become pregnant, seems advisable to improve undesirable outcomes in offspring, caution might be warranted. Limited evidence suggests that weight loss in men and women in close proximity to conception might increase undesirable offspring outcomes at birth due to nutritional deficits and/or metabolic disturbances in the parent also affecting gamete quality. A change in the dietary pattern might be more advisable. The data reviewed here suggest that pre-conception intervention strategies should shift from women to couples, and future studies should address possible interactions between maternal and paternal contribution to longitudinal childhood outcomes. Randomized controlled trials focusing on effects of pre-conceptional diet quality on long-term offspring health are warranted.
... Time spent in leisure time physical and sedentary activities was assessed using a validated questionnaire (Wolf et al., 1994). Starting in 2007, diet was assessed using an extensively validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) (Yuan et al., 2017) and two data-derived dietary patterns, the 'Prudent' and the 'Western', were calculated based on reported food intakes using principal component analysis (Gaskins et al., 2012). Urine samples were collected the same day the semen samples were collected. ...
Background:
Multiple meta-analyses have shown sperm count declines in Western countries spanning eight decades. Secular trends in other parameters remain unclear, as are potential predictors of these trends.
Objective:
To analyze secular trends in semen quality and to evaluate whether factors previously found to be related to semen quality were responsible for these patterns.
Methods:
This is a prospective study including 936 men of couples seeking infertility treatment who provided 1618 semen samples at a single center (2000-2017). Self-reported demographic, nutritional and reproductive characteristics were collected using standardized questionnaires. Urinary concentrations of bisphenol A, parabens and phthalates were quantified by isotope-dilution tandem mass spectrometry. Semen samples were analyzed for volume, sperm concentration, count, motility and morphology following WHO guidelines. We estimated the differences in semen parameters over time by fitting generalized linear mixed models with random intercepts to account for repeated samples while adjusting for abstinence time. We also adjusted for demographic, nutritional and environmental factors to investigate these as potential predictors of time trends.
Results:
Sperm concentration and count declined by 2.62% per year (95% CI -3.84, -1.38) and 3.12% per year (95% CI: -4.42, -1.80), corresponding to an overall decline of 37% and 42%, respectively, between 2000 and 2017. Decreasing trends were also observed for total motility (per year: -0.44 percentage units, 95% CI -0.71, -0.17) and morphologically normal sperm (per year: -0.069 percentage units, 95% CI -0.116, -0.023). These decreases reflected relative percentage declines of 15% and 16% over the 17 year study period, respectively. When reproductive factors were included in the model, the downward trends in sperm concentration and sperm count were attenuated by 29% and 26%, respectively, while the trends in motility and morphology were attenuated by 54% and 53%, respectively. Also, the downward trends in both sperm concentration and sperm morphology over time were attenuated by 19% when including the DEHP and non-DEHP metabolites, respectively.
Conclusions:
Sperm concentration, total count, motility and morphology significantly declined between 2000 and 2017 among subfertile men. These negative trends were attenuated when considering simultaneous changes in reproductive characteristics and urinary phthalates during the course of the study.
... Diet patterns have the most consistent association with semen quality. In recent reviews (127-129), a healthy dietary pattern, such as the Mediterranean pattern or patterns with high intakes of seafood, poultry, whole grains, legumes, skimmed milk, fruits, and vegetables, has been consistently associated with better semen parameters in studies in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia (106,108,127,130,131). Unhealthy dietary patterns that were high in fats, red and processed meats, refined grains, sweets and sweetened beverages were associated with poorer semen quality. ...
Male contribution to a couple's fecundity is important, and identifying the dietary factors that can influence male fertility potential is of high importance. Despite this importance, there are currently no clear clinical guidelines for male patients seeking fertility treatment. In this review, we present the most up-to-date evidence about diet and male fertility in humans. We focus on the dietary factors necessary for production of healthy functioning sperm with high fertility potential. Based on this review, men may be encouraged to use antioxidant supplements and to follow dietary patterns favoring the consumption of seafood, poultry, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Evidence is strongest for recommending the use of antioxidant supplements to men in couples undergoing infertility treatment-although the specific antioxidants and doses remain unclear-and increasing consumption of omega-3 fatty acids from fish and nuts.
... This finding is consistent with the study by Eslamian et al. [11], who found that high adherence to Western DP was positively associated with the risk of asthenozoospermia [11] and decline in sperm concentration and morphology [20]. In contrast, studies by Gaskins et al. [21] and Oostingh et al. [22] did not find such association. ...
The etiology of diminished sperm quality in about 30% of male infertility cases generally remains unexplained. Some studies have suggested that specific nutritional factors can affect semen quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate an association between dietary patterns (DPs) and the risk of abnormal semen quality parameters in men. This cross-sectional study was carried out in 114 men aged 20–55 years from Poland. Semen parameters were assessed via computer-aided semen. Diet was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). DPs were derived using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Two DPs were derived: Pro-healthy and Western. After adjusting for potential confounders, the risk of abnormal progressive motility was significantly higher in the middle (OR: 2.89, 95% CI: 1.03–8.09) and upper (OR: 7.78, 95% CI: 1.52–15.06) tertiles of the Western DP. A trend for increased risk of the abnormal total count, progressive motility, and morphology (P-trend < 0.050) was found in Western DP. To conclude, the Western DP may increase the risk of abnormal semen parameters, whereas no association was found in the case of Pro-healthy DP. These findings stand in contrast to an increasing number of research findings indicating a positive relation between intake of healthy foods or diet and semen quality parameters. The results highlight the need to study whether modifications in diet and lifestyle factors improve semen quality.
... We adjusted for two dietary patterns score (i.e. Western and Prudent dietary patterns), total caloric intake and total fat intake [41]. All statistical analyses were conducted using SAS version 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). ...
Background
Subfertile women are at increased risk of glucose intolerance in pregnancy. Based on epidemiologic studies, exposure to certain phthalates is associated with diabetes, elevated glucose, and increased insulin resistance. Objectives
To evaluate the association between urinary phthalate metabolites and pregnancy glucose levels in women seeking medically assisted reproduction. Methods
We evaluated 245 women participating in a prospective cohort study based at a large fertility clinic who delivered live births and had data on pregnancy urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and blood glucose levels. Urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations were from single spot urine samples collected in 1st and 2nd trimesters. Blood glucose data was abstracted from medical records for non-fasting 50-g glucose challenge tests at 24–28 weeks gestation. Multivariable linear regression models were used to evaluate associations between 7 urinary phthalate metabolites in quartiles and mean glucose adjusted for potential confounders. ResultsEighteen percent of women had glucose levels ≥ 140 mg/dL. Second trimester monoethyl phthalate (MEP) concentrations were positively associated with glucose levels, with adjusted mean (95%CI) glucose levels of 121 mg/dl (114, 128) vs. 109 mg/dL (103, 116) for women in highest and lowest quartiles, respectively. Women in the highest quartile of second trimester mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP) concentrations had a mean glucose level 14 mg/dL lower compared to women in the lowest quartile. No other urinary phthalate metabolites were associated with glucose levels. ConclusionsMEP and MiBP—metabolites of diethyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate, respectively—were associated with higher pregnancy glucose in subfertile women—a population at high risk of glucose intolerance in pregnancy.
... This association did not completely explain the relationship with fecundity, suggesting that the effects of seafood could result from mechanisms other than increased sexual activity. Several studies have found positive associations between omega fatty acid intake (24,25), seafood intake (26,27), and dietary patterns prioritizing seafood intake (28)(29)(30)(31) and semen quality parameters, lending support to the idea that higher seafood intake could increase the quantity and quality of sperm. Among women, dietary intake of docosapentaenoic acid was associated with a lower risk of anovulation and dietary intake of total marine omega-3 polyunsaturated fats was associated with increased luteal-phase progesterone concentrations (13), suggesting beneficial effects of seafood on ovulation and menstrual cycle function. ...
Context
Marine long-chain omega-3 fatty acids have been positively related to markers of fecundity in both men and women. However, seafood, their primary food source, can also be a source of toxicants, which may counteract the reproductive benefits.
Objective
To examine the relationship of male and female seafood intake with time to pregnancy (TTP).
Design
Our prospective cohort study included 501 couples planning pregnancy who participated in the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment Study (2005-2009) and were followed for up to1 year or until pregnancy was detected. Seafood intake was collected daily during follow-up in journals.
Setting
Couples residing in Michigan and Texas were recruited using population-based sampling frameworks.
Main Outcome Measures
The primary outcome was time to pregnancy as determined by an in-home pregnancy test. A secondary outcome was sexual intercourse frequency (SIF) as recorded in daily journals.
Results
Couples where the male and female partners consumed ≥8 seafood servings/cycle had 47% (95% CI 7, 103%) and 60% (95% CI 15, 122%) higher fecundity (shorter TTP) compared to couples with male and female partners who consumed ≤1 seafood serving/cycle, respectively. Couples in which both partners consumed ≥8 seafood servings/cycle had 61% (95% CI 17, 122%) higher fecundity compared to couples consuming less. Male and female partners with the highest seafood intake (≥8 servings/cycle) also had 22% higher SIF.
Conclusions
Higher male and female seafood intake was associated with higher frequency of sexual intercourse and fecundity among a large prospective cohort of couples attempting pregnancy.
... Similar results were obtained for vitamins A, C, and E and carotenoids when FFQ assessments were compared with prospectively collected diet records or 24-h recalls (16). To account for potential confounding due to overall dietary choices, we derived 2 diet patterns using principal components analysis: a "Prudent" pattern characterized by a high intake of fish, fruits, cruciferous vegetables, yellow vegetables, tomatoes, leafy green vegetables, and legumes; and a "Western" pattern characterized by a high intake of processed meat, full-fat dairy, fries, refined grains, pizza, and mayonnaise (20). ...
... The current study highlighted an association between canned sh intake and sperm immotility. Studies that have evaluated the relationship between meat consumption and sperm quality indicators are limited and their ndings are not consistent with the results of the present study [7,9,10,22,23]. A study conducted by Afeiche et al., [22] indicated that high consumption of processed meat was associated with a reduction of total sperm count and a progressive motile count. In addition, organ meat consumption, in particular, was related to higher total sperm count, higher sperm concentration, and greater sperm motility. ...
Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the association between dietary patterns and semen quality indicators, but research on the possible association between animal flesh foods consumption and semen quality is limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the association between animal flesh foods consumption with semen quality.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 400 newly-identified (<6 months) infertile men, as diagnosed by an andrologist, were recruited into the study. Dietary intake was assessed by using a semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. The total meat consumption was defined as the sum of red meat, poultry, fresh fish, canned fish, processed meats, and organ meats in the diet. A linear mixed model was used to assess the relationship between meat consumption and semen quality indicators of participants.
Results: Consumption of canned fish was inversely related to sperm immotility. Compared with the men in the lowest quartile of canned fish intake, those in the highest quartile had a lower sperm immotility [lowest quartile: 52.5%; (95% CI: 47-57) vs 47.4%; (95% CI: 43-51) P-trend=0.026]. Similarly, a trend toward an inverse significant association between fresh fish intake and sperm immotility was observed (P-trend=0.074). In contrast, fresh and canned fish intake was unrelated to other outcomes of sperm quality (P-trend >0.05). No association was found between consumption of processed red meat, red meat, poultry, and organ meat, and semen quality indicators (P-trend >0.05).
Conclusions: We found that consumption of canned fish is associated with a lower percentage of immotile sperm, whilst a high consumption of fresh fish increased the percentage of immotile sperm in Iranian infertile men. Further studies are recommended in this regard.
... One potential approach to improve reproductive performance is diet. The adverse consequences of unbalanced diets on reproduction have been vastly reported [17][18][19] as well as positive correlations ...
The aim of the present experiment is to study the effects of oral ingestion of a mixture of two probiotic bacteria on sperm quality and progenies. Three homogeneous groups of juvenile zebrafish were created. Once having reached adulthood (3 months postfertilization; mpf), each group received different feeding regimens: a standard diet (control), a maltodextrin-supplemented diet (vehicle control), or a probiotic-supplemented diet (a mixture (1:1) of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CECT8361 and Bifidobacterium longum CECT7347). The feeding regime lasted 4.5 months. Growth parameters (weight and length) were determined at 3, 5, and 7.5 mpf. Sperm motility was evaluated using computer-assisted sperm analysis at 5 and 7.5 mpf. Progeny survival, hatching rate, and malformation rate were also evaluated. Results showed that probiotic-supplemented diet improved growth parameters compared with the standard diet. The highest percentage of motile spermatozoa was reported in the probiotic-fed group. Concomitantly, the percentage of fast sperm subpopulation was significantly lower in samples derived from control males. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in progeny survival between the probiotic-fed group and the control group at three developmental times (24 hours postfertilization (hpf), 5 days postfertilization (dpf) and 7 dpf). In conclusion, in zebrafish, prolonged ingestion of a mixture of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CECT8361 and Bifidobacterium longum CECT7347 has positive effects on growth, sperm quality, and progeny survival.
... Research has shown that a diet rich in whole grains promotes better sperm morphology and motility (26,254). High fiber diets can play an important role in supporting greater fecal microbiome diversity, but little evidence exists on the direct influence of diet on the reproductive microbiome. ...
Infertility affects nearly 50 million couples worldwide, with 40−50% of cases having a male factor component. It is well established that nutritional status impacts reproductive development, health and function, although the exact mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Genetic variation that affects nutrient metabolism may impact fertility through nutrigenetic mechanisms. This review summarizes current knowledge on the role of several dietary components (vitamins A, B12, C, D, E, folate, betaine, choline, calcium, iron, caffeine, fiber, sugar, dietary fat, and gluten) in male reproductive health. Evidence of gene-nutrient interactions and their potential effect on fertility is also examined. Understanding the relationship between genetic variation, nutrition and male fertility is key to developing personalized, DNA-based dietary recommendations to enhance the fertility of men who have difficulty conceiving.
... The current study highlighted an association between canned sh intake and sperm immotility. Studies that have evaluated the relationship between meat consumption and sperm quality indicators are limited and their ndings are not consistent with the results of the present study (7,9,10,19,20). A study conducted by Afeiche et al., (19) indicated that high consumption of processed meat was associated with a reduction of total sperm count and a progressive motile count. In addition, organ meat consumption, in particular, was related to higher total sperm count, higher sperm concentration, and greater sperm motility. ...
Objective: Previous studies have demonstrated the association between dietary patterns and semen quality indicators, but research on the possible association between animal flesh foods consumption and semen quality is limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the association between animal flesh foods consumption with semen quality.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 400 newly-identified infertile men, as diagnosed by an andrologist, were recruited into the study. Dietary intake was assessed by using a semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. The total meat consumption was defined as the sum of red meat, poultry, fresh fish, canned fish, processed meats, and organ meats in the diet. Linear mixed model was used to assesse relationship between meat consumption and semen quality indicators of participants.
Results: Consumption of canned fish was inversely related with sperm immotility. Compared with the men in the lowest quartile of canned fish intake, those in the highest quartile had 5.1% fewer sperm immotility [lowest quartile: 52.5%; (95% CI: 47-57) vs 47.4%; (95% CI: 43-51) P-trend=0.026]. Similarly, a trend toward an inverse significant association between fresh fish intake and sperm immotility was observed (P-trend=0.0.074). In contrast, fresh and canned fish intake was unrelated with other outcomes of sperm quality (P-trend >0.05). No association was found between consumption of processed red meat, red meat, poultry, and organ meat, and semen quality indicators (P-trend >0.05).
Conclusions: We found that consumption of canned fish, based on serving size of quartile 2, is associated with lower percentage of immotile sperm, whilst high consumption of fresh fish increased the percentage of immotile sperm in Iranian infertile men. Accordingly, more extensive studies are recommended in this regard.
... Nevertheless, the authors did not find any association between dietary patterns and sperm movement (17). Another study done at the University of Rochester on healthy men, indicated that prudent pattern was only related with percentage of sperm with progressive motility, while the Western pattern was not correlated with any sperm quality parameters (18). A systematic review and meta-analysis of six observational studies on 8207 participants, declared that individuals with the highest adherence to healthy dietary pattern versus those with the lowest adherence, had significantly higher level of sperm concentration. ...
Background:
This cross-sectional study pointed to assess the relationship between major dietary patterns and dietary diversity score with semen parameters, in infertile Iranian males.
Materials and methods:
In this cross-sectional study, 260 infertile men (18-55 years old) who met the inclusion criteria, entered the study. Four Semen parameters, namely sperm concentration (SC), total sperm movement (TSM), normal sperm morphology (NSM) and sperm volume were considered according to spermogram. A 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to collect dietary intakes and calculate dietary diversity score. Factor analysis was used to extract dietary patterns.
Results:
The following four factors were extracted: "traditional pattern", "prudent pattern", "vegetable-based pattern" and "mixed pattern". After adjusting potential confounders, those in the highest quartile of the traditional pattern had 83% less odds for abnormal concentration, compared with the first quartile (OR=0.17, 95% CI: 0.04-00.73); however, subjects in the highest quartile of this pattern had 2.69 fold higher odds for abnormal sperm volume as compared with those of the first quartile (95%Cl: 1.06-6.82). Men in the second quartile of prudent pattern had 4.36 higher odds of an abnormal sperm volume in comparison to the reference category (95%CI: 1.75-10.86), after considering potential confounders. With regard to mixed pattern, men in the second, third and fourth quartile of this pattern had respectively 85 (5%Cl: 0.03-0.76,), 86 (95%Cl: 0.02-0.75) and 83 % (95%Cl: 0.034-0.9) less odds of abnormal concentration, compared with the first quartile. Additionally, no significant association was found between dietary diversity score and sperm quality parameters.
Conclusion:
Higher intake of the traditional diet was linked to lower abnormal semen concentration and poorer sperm volume. Also, the mixed diet was associated with reduced prevalence of abnormal semen concentration.
... Recently, increasing attention had been paid to recognizing the reversible risk factors of infertility such as smoking, alcohol consumption and diet [31][32][33]. Previously, studies have shown that a western-style diet, containing high saturated fats and simple carbohydrates is associated with the quality of semen, as an essential factor in men's fertility [34][35][36]. Unfortunately, studies in this field are observational, which cannot affirm the causal-relationship [37][38][39][40][41]. Testosterone, as the primary androgen, is synthesized from the cholesterol in an ongoing method at the Leydig cells of the testes and then secreted to the blood. ...
Although therapeutic effect of quercetin (Quer) was reported on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), destructive effects have been shown on male fertility due to its pro-oxidative properties. On the other hand, NAFLD impairs germ cells to produce sperm and leads to male infertility. Herein, a biocompatible and green bigel was designed for Quer delivery to prevent infertility induced by NAFLD as the increasing complications. Bigels were prepared using cottonseed oil/cannabis oil/alginate/ferula gum and optimized by the mixture design method. NAFLD was induced by 58% of dietary calorie as lard and 42 g/L fructose for 16 weeks in Sprague-Dawley rats. So on animals received 2 mg/kg Quer loaded on bigels, free bigels, or free Quer for 45 days as daily gavage. Semen was analyzed, followed by the assessment of DNA integrity. Count, motility, and normal morphology reached the healthy control group at the bigel-Quer-treated one. Moreover, all of these parameters were significantly higher in the bigel-Quer group than the Quer and bigel, alone. The percent of sperms with head and tail abnormality decreased considerably in the bigel-Quer group compared with the Quer, free bigel, and NAFLD groups. Serum testosterone levels significantly increased and reached the healthy control group in the bigel-Quer group. DNA fragmentation of sperm significantly decreased in the bigel-Quer group (p < 0.05). The bigel showed synergistic effects with Quer for treating infertility in rats with NAFLD.
... In spite of the overall low prevalence of overweight and obesity in the studied sample, results indicate that university students would possibly benefit from a nutrition and health promotion program to improve students eating habits. Overweight and obesity increased among Bangladeshi women of reproductive [17], Socio-demographic factors [18] including age, education, wealth index [19], marital status whatever university students are more Concious about their weight rather than health. ...
Purpose: The dietary habits of young adults have been affected; thus, overweight and obesity are increasingly being observed among the young. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity on a sample of students from the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and to examine their eating habits.
Background: In the past year BAU has been experiencing a nutritional transition in food decisions from the everyday diet to the alimentation pattern. As a consequence, the dietary habits of young adults have been affected with progressive overweight and obesity .The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence on a sample of MS stidents from BAU and to look at their uptake habits.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 146 students were chosen randomly from the BAU throughout the JJ/2018 semester. With a 7 Days twenty four Hour Food frequency questionnaire where their Height, weight, dietary habits, Body mass index (BMI) were recorded. Statistical
analyses were performed exploitation the Statistical Package for Social Sciences computer code (version 22.0) to determine overweight and obesity among students and to categorize uptake habits of food.
Results: This study showed that the majority of the students (80.4%) were of normal weight (80.8% male students compared to 80% female students). The prevalence of overweight and
obesity was 9.1% and 2.3% respectively .In contrast, 15.0% female students were underweight as
compared to 3.8% males. Eating habits of the students showed that the majority (61.4%) reported taking meals regularly. There was a colored vegetable and fruits were intake scarcity among students. A total of 30.5% reported daily intake of colored vegetables with gender differences (P=.003) (31.5% females vs. 29.2% males). These prevalence rates were greater in girls than boys. There were no clear associations observed between dietary habits and measures of overweight and obesity.
Conclusion: The overall low prevalence of overweight and obesity in the studied sample, indicate
that university students would possibly benefit from nutrition and health promotion program to improve student’s eating habits. There is a Significant differences observed among food type and frequency of consumption.
... Research has shown that a diet rich in whole grains promotes better sperm morphology and motility (26,254). High fiber diets can play an important role in supporting greater fecal microbiome diversity, but little evidence exists on the direct influence of diet on the reproductive microbiome. ...
Abstract: Infertility affects nearly 50 million couples worldwide, with 40−50% of cases having a male factor component. It is well established that nutritional status impacts reproductive development, health and function, although the exact mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Genetic variation that affects nutrient metabolism may impact fertility through nutrigenetic mechanisms. This review summarizes current knowledge on the role of several dietary components (vitamins A, B12, C, D, E, folate, betaine, choline,
calcium, iron, caffeine, fiber, sugar, dietary fat, and gluten) in male reproductive health. Evidence of gene-nutrient interactions and their potential effect on fertility is also examined. Understanding the relationship between genetic variation, nutrition and male fertility is key to developing personalized, DNA-based dietary recommendations to enhance the fertility of men who have difficulty conceiving.
Keywords: Micronutrients; reproduction; fertility; nutrition; genetics; nutrigenomics; nutrigenetics
... The current study highlighted an association between canned fish intake and sperm immotility. Studies that have evaluated the relationship between meat consumption and sperm quality indicators are limited and their findings are not consistent with the results of the present study [7,9,10,14,22]. A study conducted by Afeiche et al. [14] indicated that high consumption of processed meat was associated with a reduction of total sperm count and a progressive motile count. In addition, organ meat consumption, in particular, was related to higher total sperm count, higher sperm concentration, and greater sperm motility. ...
Background
Previous studies have demonstrated the association between dietary patterns and semen quality indicators, but research on the possible association between animal flesh foods consumption and semen quality is limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the association between animal flesh foods consumption with semen quality.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, 400 newly-identified (< 6 months) infertile men, as diagnosed by an andrologist, were recruited into the study. Dietary intake was assessed by using a semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. The total meat consumption was defined as the sum of red meat, poultry, fresh fish, canned fish, processed meats, and organ meats in the diet. A linear mixed model was used to assess the relationship between meat consumption and semen quality indicators of participants.
Results
Consumption of canned fish was inversely related to sperm immotility. Compared with the men in the lowest quartile of canned fish intake, those in the highest quartile had a lower sperm immotility [lowest quartile: 52.5%; (95% CI: 47–57) vs 47.4%; (95% CI: 43–51) P-trend = 0.026]. Similarly, a trend toward an inverse significant association between fresh fish intake and sperm immotility was observed (P-trend = 0.074). In contrast, fresh and canned fish intake was unrelated to other outcomes of sperm quality (P-trend > 0.05). No association was found between consumption of processed red meat, red meat, poultry, and organ meat, and semen quality indicators (P-trend > 0.05).
Conclusions
We found that consumption of canned fish is associated with a lower percentage of immotile sperm, whilst a high consumption of fresh fish increased the percentage of immotile sperm in Iranian infertile men. Further studies are recommended in this regard
... Studies that evaluated the relationship between meat intake and sperm quality indicators, are limited and their ndings are not consistent with the results of the present study (17)(18)(19)(20)(21). A study in Boston found that higher sh intake was associated with increased sperm count and normal sperm morphology (17). ...
Objective: Previous studies have proven the effect of dietary patterns on semen quality indicators, but research on the relationship between meat intake and semen quality is limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between Meat intake with semen quality.
Methods: In this cross sectional study, 400 infertile men were recruited into study during their fertility investigation in Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute Diagnosed by an andrologist according to the inclusion criteria. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between meat intake and semen parameters. All data were analyzed using SPSS V. 22 software.
Results: We found that intake of canned tuna can have two different effects on sperm motility in infertile male. Intake of canned tuna according to the serving size stated in quartile 2, leads to a decrease in the percentage of immotile sperm from 52.93 (CI95%, 51.15-54.71) to 46.55 (CI95%, 44.56-48.54)(Ptrend=0.036). On the other hand, there is an increase in the percentage of immotile sperm from 46.55 (CI95%, 44.56-48.54) to 52.88 (CI95%, 50.94-54.82) in the highest quartile of canned tuna intake.Also, no significant relationship was observed between intake other types of meats and sperm quality indices.
Conclusions: We found that intake of canned tuna,base on serving size of quartile 2, is associated with lower percentage of immotile sperm, on the other hand high intake of canned tuna increase percentage of immotile sperm in Iranian infertile men. More extensive studies are recommended in this regard.
... Possible explanations for decline are overweight and obesity (15), a decrease in physical activity, and an increase in sedentary behavior (16). Other studies point to lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption (17), as well as poor nutrition (18,19), lack of sleep (20), and psychologic stress (17) as some of the causes for the decline in semen quality. Other important factors contributing to the increase in infertility are the rise in sexually transmitted diseases and environmental exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as phthalates, bisphenol A, and parabens, which have been associated with poor semen quality and adverse female reproductive outcomes, especially during vulnerable periods such as the perinatal time period (21,22). ...
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relative contribution of genetic and environmental components to subfertility.
DESIGN: Twin design using a quantitative genetic liability threshold model that splits the variation of subfertility into additive genetic effects (A), common environmental effects (C) and unique environmental effects (E).
SETTING: Two nation-wide twin cohorts.
PATIENT(S): A total of 9,053 Danish monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) same-sex twins aged 18+ from nationwide twin surveys (twins born 1931-1976).
INTERVENTION(S): Not applicable.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Time to pregnancy (TTP) restricted to first pregnancy as a binary outcome, with a cut-off point of 10 months.
RESULT(S): Based on the Akaike Information Criterion, the AE model including additive genetic and unique environmental factors resulted in the best model fit. For females, the relative contribution of additive genetic factors to TTP was 28% (95% CI 15-41%), while unique environmental factors explained 72% (95% CI 59-85%). For males, additive genetic factors explained 4% (95% CI 0-22%) of the variation in TTP, while unique environmental factors accounted for 96% (95% CI 78-100%). Results were overall similar for the crude model and consistent across surveys.
CONCLUSION: Unique environmental factors explain most of the observed variation in subfertility, when measured as waiting time to pregnancy.
KEYWORDS: Time to pregnancy; fecundity; subfertility; heritability; twins
Capsule: Our results from two large population-based studies of Danish twins suggest that environmental factors specific for each twin individual explain around 70% of the subfertility in females and around 95% of that in males.
... Por su parte Gaskins y col.; mostraron que la adhesión a un patrón de dieta con pescado, pollo, frutas, verduras y granos se asoció con un mayor porcentaje de esperma progresivamente móvil. 62 Roos y colaboradores, 63 en una revisión de ensayos clínicos, determinaron que 14 de 17 ensayos (82%) analizados mostraron una mejoría en la calidad del esperma o tasa de embarazo después de una terapia con antioxidante, si bien en los artículos se habla más de suplementación, la dieta vegetariana es reconocida por su aporte considerable de sustancias protectoras contra daño oxidativo. 63 Los antioxidantes presentes retardan o evitan el daño oxidativo causado por agentes como el anión superóxido, el peróxido de hidrógenos y otros radicales a los espermatozoides, previniendo así la aglutinación. ...
Resumen
En los últimos años, se ha reportado en la literatura científica un declive en la calidad seminal. La significancia biológica de ese evento podría estar relacionada con la reducción en la fertilidad masculina o con el aumento del riesgo de enfermedades en la descendencia. La occidentalización en el estilo de vida, caracterizado por el aumento del peso corporal, el sedentarismo, el uso de cigarrillo, la ingesta de alimentos ricos en grasas y sodio y la reducción en la ingesta de alimentos fuente de fibras y antioxidantes, pudieran estar implicados en esos resultados. A su vez, cambios en el estilo de vida, que conduzcan a una reducción de peso corporal, de la ingesta de grasa y sodio, a un mejor estado antioxidante y a un aumento de la ingesta de fibra, se han asociado a mejores parámetros seminales. Por lo tanto, la alimentación basada en plantas o vegetariana, podría ser una estrategia válida para mejorar el estado nutricional y la salud masculina.
... The DASH diet, similar to the Mediterranean diet and prudent dietary style, assumes a higher intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. These food groups are positively associated with sperm count, concentration [28], sperm motility [29,30], and morphology [28]. As a naturally rich source of vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols, the DASH diet may be perceived as antioxidative and anti-inflammatory. ...
The influence of individual lifestyle factors is widely described in studies on semen quality. However, their synergistic effect is often neglected. The aim of the study was to examine the association between semen quality and dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet, physical activity (PA), and the two separately and in combination. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 207 men aged 20-55. Dietary data were collected by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and analysed according to the DASH scoring index. Physical activity was evaluated by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Semen parameters were assessed via the computer-aided semen analysis (CASA). Adherence to the DASH diet was associated with higher sperm count (Δ
T3-T1
= 82.1 mln/ej) and concentration (Δ
T3-T1
= 24.6 mln/mL). Higher PA was related to higher sperm count (Δ
T3-T1
= 69.4 mln/ej), total (Δ
T3-T1
= 11.9%), and progressive motility (Δ
T3-T1
= 8.5%) and morphology (Δ
T3-T1
= 2.8%) in the crude model and remained significant after adjustment. The combination of the DASH diet and PA, was significantly positively associated with sperm count (Δ
T3-T1
= 98.1 mln/ej), sperm concentration (Δ
T3-T1
= 17.5 mln/mL), total (Δ
T3-T1
= 11.8%), and progressive motility (Δ
T3-T1
= 10.0%) and morphology (Δ
T3-T1
= 3.3%) in both models. Adherence to the DASH diet was related to higher sperm count and concentration, whereas after its combination with physical activity it was also positively correlated with sperm motility and morphology.
... Structural alterations to epididymal tissue, such as increased fat pad size, could therefore potentially change miRNA signatures [29]. Because miRNAs influence gene expression via mRNAs, their transfer into the oocyte cytoplasm during fertilization [73] could lead to deviations in the epigenetic state of the developing embryo because of reduced target mRNA levels in the zygote [66,74,75]. Therefore, sperm miRNAs have been proposed to act as mediators of paternal programming effects [76]. ...
Globally, obesity has reached epidemic proportions. The rapidly increasing numbers of overweight people can be traced back to overconsumption of energy-dense, poor-quality foods as well as physical inactivity. This development has far-reaching and costly implications. Not only is obesity associated with serious physiological and psychological complications, but mounting evidence also indicates a ripple effect through generations via epigenetic changes. Parental obesity could induce intergenerational and transgenerational changes in metabolic and brain function of the offspring. Most research has focused on maternal epigenetic and gestational effects; however, paternal contributions are likely to be substantial. We focus on the latest advances in understanding the mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance of obesity-evoked metabolic and neurobiological changes through the paternal germline that predict wide-ranging consequences for the following generation(s).
... Smoking as a confounder was not found to be significantly different across the quartiles of SSB intake in our study (P = 0.461), similar to the previous studies. [11][12][13][14] Tobacco chewing has also not been found to be significantly different across the quartiles of SSB intake in our study (P = 0.457). The deleterious effects of tobacco chewing on semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility and viability was well documented in some Indian studies. ...
... They concluded that higher consumption of a prudent dietary pattern was associated with higher sperm motility. [12] Liu et al. [13] studied the association between the dietary pattern and semen quality in a general Asian population of 7282 males. They concluded intake of a 'western diet' was linked to a poor sperm count and normal sperm morphology. ...
... Recently, increasing attention had been paid to recognizing the reversible risk factors of infertility such as smoking, alcohol consumption and diet [31][32][33]. Previously, studies have shown that a western-style diet, containing high saturated fats and simple carbohydrates is associated with the quality of semen, as an essential factor in men's fertility [34][35][36]. Unfortunately, studies in this field are observational, which cannot affirm the causal-relationship [37][38][39][40][41]. Testosterone, as the primary androgen, is synthesized from the cholesterol in an ongoing method at the Leydig cells of the testes and then secreted to the blood. ...
Study question
Dose quercetin encapsulated in a bigel slow- release delivery system improve male fertility parameters in Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) model
Summary answer
Quercetin in a bigel slow- release delivery system can boost semen parameters in NAFLD rat model
What is known already
Recent molecular and physiological studies have shown that adverse effects of NAFLD extend far beyond the liver. NAFLD can impair male reproductive function by increasing Reactive Oxidative Stress (ROS) levels, reducing the expression of antioxidant genes and inducing damage in testes immune privilege.
Antioxidant therapy and its effectiveness depend on whether the exogenous antioxidant will be readily absorbed to reach high enough that are required to decrease the pathological damages.
Quercetin, as an antioxidant, is able to ameliorate oxidative stress. The design of new drug delivery systems using encapsulating antioxidant can boost its durability and effectiveness.
Study design, size, duration
Bigels were prepared using cottonseed oil/cannabis oil/alginate/ferula gum. Sprague-Dawley rats are housed for 2 weeks, then NAFLD was induced by 58% of dietary calorie as lard and 42 g/L fructose for 16 weeks. The experimental protocol was approved by the ethical committee of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
Participants/materials, setting, methods
After confirming the NAFLD induction, animals divided into five groups: Control, control NAFLD, received 2 mg/kg Quer loaded on bigels, free bigels, free Quer for 45 days as daily gavage. Semen parameters (count, motility, and morphology), viability (Eosin-nigrosine staining) and serum testosterone levels were analyzed. In addition, histological sections of testicular tissues were investigated by Hematoxylin-Eosin (H&E) staining method. In situ detection of apoptosis was performed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay.
Main results and the role of chance
The sperm count, sperm motility, normal morphology and testosterone level were significantly lower in the NAFLD group than those the controls. Moreover, higher head and tail abnormality percentages were seen in the sperm of these groups. Bigel-Quer significantly improved the serum testosterone level, sperm count, motility, and morphology compared with the NAFLD group. Spermatogenic cells in all stages of differentiation (spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, early spermatids, late spermatids) are observed and preserved normally in the testicular tubules and lumen filled with mature sperms in the control group. Interestingly, atrophic changes in the testicular tubule architecture with swelling in spermatogonia cells, detachment from tubule membrane, reduced number of mature sperm, and reduced lumen thickness were seen in the NAFLD. In the Quer, bigel and bigel-Quer-treated groups, swelling and vacuolation rate of germ cells decreased. The testicular morphology, and tubule structure were significantly normalized, especially in the bigel-Quer-treated group. Serum testosterone levels significantly increased and reached the healthy control group in the bigel-Quer group. TUNEL-positive cells in testes increased significantly after NAFLD induction. Quantitative analysis showed a significant decrease in testicular TUNEL-positive cells following bigel-Quer treatment, but not in other groups.
Limitations, reasons for caution
Keeping and daily handling of animals for long-time in animal house for diet-induced NAFLD. NAFLD requires long periods of treatment to get the desired outcome especially in the case of sperm parameters investigation.
Wider implications of the findings: The bigel showed synergistic effects with Quer for treating infertility in male rats with NAFLD. Stability and bio-availability of Quer are important aspects that should be considered to justify its supplementation. Empowering antioxidant shield of NAFLD patients by Quer supplementation can improve various damage effects and clinical status of diseases.
Trial registration number
Not applicable
Background
Few potentially modifiable risk factors of male infertility have been identified and while different diets and food groups have been associated with male infertility, evidence linking dietary factors including phytoestrogens and semen quality is limited and contradictory.
Objectives
To study the associations between phytoestrogen intake and other dietary factors and semen quality.
Materials and Methods
A case‐referent study was undertaken of the male partners, of couples attempting conception with unprotected intercourse for 12 months or more without success, recruited from 14 UK assisted reproduction clinics. 1907 participants completed occupational, lifestyle and dietary questionnaires before semen quality (concentration, motility and morphology) was assessed. Food intake was estimated by a 65‐item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) covering the 12 months prior to recruitment. Analyses of dietary risk factors for low motile sperm concentration (MSC: <4.8 x10⁶/ml) and poor sperm morphology (PM: <4% normal morphology) used unconditional logistic regression, accounting for clustering of subjects within the clinics, first without, and then with, adjustment for confounders associated with that outcome.
Results
High consumption of daidzein (≥13.74mg/day), a phytoestrogen found in soy products, was a protective factor for MSC with an odds ratio (95%CI) of 0.58 (0.42‐0.82) after adjustment for clustering and potential confounding. Dietary risk factors for PM after similar adjustment showed that drinking whole milk (OR 0.67, 95%CI 0.47‐0.96) and eating red meat were protective with an OR 0.67 (0.46‐0.99) for eating red meat > 3times /week.
Discussion
In this case‐referent study of men attending an infertility clinic for fertility diagnosis, we have identified that low MSC is inversely associated with daidzein intake. In contrast daidzein intake was not associated with PM y but eating red milk and drinking whole milk were protective.
Conclusions
Dietary factors associated with semen quality were identified suggesting that male fertility might be improved by dietary changes
Badania naukowe wskazują, że sposób żywienia w istotny sposób wpływa na płodność kobiet i mężczyzn w wieku rozrodczym. W niniejszym artykule dokonano przeglądu badań naukowych na temat zależności między spożyciem żywności a płodnością. Wykazano, że dieta śródziemnomorska jest optymalnym wzorcem dla diety wspomagającej płodność i leczenie niepłodności. Również dieta określona w badaniach naukowych jako „prudent pattern” wykazywała korzystne działanie, szczególnie u mężczyzn. Z kolei dieta typu zachodniego wykazywała działanie niekorzystne w zaburzeniach płodności u kobiet i mężczyzn. Słowa kluczowe: dieta, płodność, dieta śródziemnomorska, dieta typu zachodniego, stres oksydacyjny, jakość parametrów nasienia
Research conducted in recent years provides more and more evidence that diet can have a significant impact on male fertility. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between diet, energy balance and fertility in men. A comprehensive literature search of published studies in various languages, was carried out in electronic databases. The direct analysis included 96 works published between 2008 and 2018, including 12 randomized controlled trials and 23 systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A strong adherence to a healthy dietary pattern is positively correlated with total sperm count, progressive motility and total motile sperm count (all p < 0.05). However, attention is drawn to the fact that foods that are considered “healthy” can sometimes contain a significant amount of pollution, which negatively affect the semen parameters. An adequate intake of antioxidants or their supplementation have been quite effective in the prevention and treatment of male infertility. The improvement of pregnancy rate after antioxidant therapy ranged in various studies from 11% to 41%. An important problem, however, may be choosing the right dose of the supplement or finding an appropriate combination of antioxidants that may be more effective than any single antioxidant. The normalization of men’s body weight is beneficial for the quality of sperm and the concentration of male reproductive hormones. Further, long-term studies require the assessment of the impact of drastic weight loss after bariatric surgery on male fertility.
the rate of fertilization was lower in the SCI group v. the non-SCI group, however, the rates of pregnancy and live birth were similar between the two groups. Sperm collected by PVS v. EEJ in men with SCI appear to result in similar IVF/ICSI success rates. O-27 Monday
- Pm Dietary Patterns And
- Semen Quality In Young
- Men
CONCLUSION: In IVF/ICSI cycles, the rate of fertilization was lower in the SCI group v. the non-SCI group, however, the rates of pregnancy and live birth were similar between the two groups. Sperm collected by PVS v. EEJ in men with SCI appear to result in similar IVF/ICSI success rates. O-27 Monday, October 17, 2011 05:00 PM DIETARY PATTERNS AND SEMEN QUALITY IN YOUNG MEN.
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; School of Med-icine OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between dietary patterns and se-men parameters in healthy, young adult males. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study
- A J Gaskins
- D Colaci
- J Mendiola
- S H Swan
- J Chavarro
A. J. Gaskins, D. Colaci, J. Mendiola, S. H. Swan, J. Chavarro. Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; School of Med-icine, University of Murcia, Espinardo, Murcia, Spain; Department of Ob-stetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between dietary patterns and se-men parameters in healthy, young adult males. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Men aged 18-22 years were recruited for