Can I do anything to support sperm health?

I was at a fertility conference, where a couple asked this general question to an IVF consultant. The answer the couple were given…that there is nothing that can be done (and even that donor sperm should be considered). WTAF. Imagine being on the receiving end of that news, you’d feel frustrated, left without hope, and a feeling that sperm health was totally outside of your control.  

This is even more shocking and frustrating when the research exists to support the exact opposite. We should be giving couples (realistic) hope, and empowerment with the evidence-based positive influences that diet and lifestyle can have on both sperm and egg health (I’ll save egg health for another rant).

Why is sperm health important?

Sperm are 50% of the equation. Male factor is solely responsible in about 20% of infertility cases, and identified as a contributing factor in a further 30-40% (a). Yet, often fertility research and even consultants can focus primarily on female factors. If the research is anything to go by, the future isn’t looking any brighter for sperm with large collected studies documenting a downward trend in sperm concentration and total sperm count over the past eight decades (1).

Why sperm health doesn’t only matter if you’re struggling with fertility and everyone should consider it…

Fertility struggles or not, it is a key thing to consider for all. Sperm health goes on to impact the future health of the offspring via a process known as epigenetics. Human epidemiological data is pointing towards a transgenerational effect of parental nutrition (including paternal) on offspring health. Paternal lifestyle, including physical activity, nutrition and exposure to hazardous substances, can alter the epigenome and, moreover, can affect the health of their children (2).

What does the research say about supporting sperm health?

• A published literature review across 74 papers assessing the association between a particular lifestyle factor (including smoking, recreational drug use, obesity, psychological stress, advanced paternal age, diet, testicular heat stress, intense cycling training, lack of sleep, and exposure to electromagnetic radiation from mobiles) and male infertility, found…

  …“major lifestyle factors discussed in the present review are amongst the multiple potential risk factors that could impair male fertility. Their negative impact may well be mostly overcome by behaviour modification and better lifestyle choices. Greater awareness and recognition of the possible impact of these lifestyle factors are important amongst couples seeking conception” (3).

• A systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (which is seen as the ‘gold standard’ level of evidence) concluded…

  …dietary supplements could beneficially modulate sperm quality parameters and affect male fertility (4).

• There is a large focus on the benefits of various antioxidants for sperm health parameters. Oxidative stress (OS) is one of the main mediators of male infertility. It causes sperm dysfunctions and is related to increased cellular damage caused by unstable molecules, called reactive oxygen species (ROS). High levels of ROS are strongly correlated with sperm DNA damage (which can be measured with DNA fragmentation tests) and low percentages of sperm motility. A variety of nutrients and foods can play a role in helping to calm the damage that ROS can cause and reducing oxidative stress. The collective evidence of randomized trials of antioxidant supplementation among men in couples undergoing infertility treatment shows that…

  …supplementation improves semen quality, particularly motility, and may increase the probability of clinical pregnancy and live birth (1).

• The fatty acid composition of the sperm cell membrane is very important for proper sperm function. It is this membrane that plays a critical role in key fertilisation events, such as capacitation, acrosome reaction, and sperm-oocyte fusion. So, it makes sense…what influences this fatty acid composition? The fats in your diet….

  …Consuming these fatty acids or their food sources has been shown to modify the fatty acid composition of sperm and semen quality (1). An observational study among fertility patients found higher intake of omega-3 PUFAs was positively related to a greater proportion of morphologically normal sperm (5). Greater seafood intake (which is high in omega-3 PUFAs) was associated with a shorter time to pregnancy and lower risk of infertility (6).

• In fact, a dietary intervention RCT were men aged 21-35 years old consuming a Western-style diet (e.g. typical UK diet) were randomised, with one group simply adding 75g of whole shelled walnuts/day, found…

  …the group consuming the added walnuts experienced significant improvements to their improved sperm vitality, motility, and morphology. These improvements were likely due to the PUFAs the walnuts contain as the participants serum fatty acid profiles improved in the walnut group with increases in omega-6 and omega-3but not in the control group (7).

  And this is only some of the research. So I’m sure you can appreciate my frustration hearing that a couple were told there was nothing they could do.

  I’d love it if there was more support, sadly there are currently no clear clinical guidelines for male patients seeking fertility treatment. I am passionate about educating people in this area. Not only to help to empower people struggling, but for anyone thinking of starting a family, given the research that supports the transgenerational impact both paternal and maternal health can have on the future generation.

What can I do to improve sperm health?

Head over to my other article on top foods to improve sperm health. It’s always best to work with a practitioner to ensure quality, personalisation, and reviewing any drug-nutrient interactions of supplements. I’m always happy to have a no-obligation, complimentary nutrition review call if you would like to find out more about how you can support sperm health with personalised nutrition.

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a. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562258

1. Nassan FL, Chavarro JE, Tanrikut C. Diet and men’s fertility: does diet affect sperm quality? Fertil Steril. 2018 Sep;110(4):570–7.

2. Schagdarsurengin U, Steger K. Epigenetics in male reproduction: effect of paternal diet on sperm quality and offspring health. Nat Rev Urol. 2016 Oct;13(10):584–95.

3. Durairajanayagam D. Lifestyle causes of male infertility. Arab J Urol. 2018 Feb 13;16(1):10–20.

4. Salas-Huetos A, Rosique-Esteban N, Becerra-Tomás N, Vizmanos B, Bulló M, Salas-Salvadó J. The Effect of Nutrients and Dietary Supplements on Sperm Quality Parameters: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Adv Nutr Bethesda Md. 2018 Nov 1;9(6):833–48.

5. Attaman JA, Toth TL, Furtado J, Campos H, Hauser R, Chavarro JorgeE. Dietary fat and semen quality among men attending a fertility clinic. Hum Reprod. 2012 May 1;27(5):1466–74.

6. Gaskins AJ, Sundaram R, Buck Louis GM, Chavarro JE. Seafood Intake, Sexual Activity, and Time to Pregnancy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018 Jul 1;103(7):2680–8.

7. Robbins WA, Xun L, FitzGerald LZ, Esguerra S, Henning SM, Carpenter CL. Walnuts Improve Semen Quality in Men Consuming a Western-Style Diet: Randomized Control Dietary Intervention Trial1. Biol Reprod.