Improve Sperm Quality With Nutrition

Benefits of nuts for men's health

There are plenty of reasons to love nuts.  Eating almonds daily may lower bad cholesterol, while walnuts have been linked with anti stress properties, a role in gut health, weight control and lower incidences of benign breast disease.  The Food and Drug Administration even gave nuts the nod with a qualified health claim stating that a heaping handful, or 1.5 ounces, of most nuts (peanuts, pecans, pistachios, including nuts listed in study below) per day may reduce the risk of heart disease.  New research now suggests that eating nuts on a regular basis also results in healthier sperm.

Researchers at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual meeting shared findings from a 14-week randomized clinical trial to see how adding mixed nuts to the standard western diet would affect the quality and quantity of participant’s sperm.   They assigned 119 adults aged 18-35 years old to their usual diet, or a diet supplemented with 60g of mixed walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds.  Sperm and blood samples were tested at the beginning and end of the intervention.

In this study, sperm health was measured by motility or ability to swim efficiently, vitality or percentage of living healthy sperm in a specimen and lastly morphology or shape.  All of these measurements improved slightly in the nut group, most notably, sperm count increased by 16%.

Because this study was conducted only with healthy fertile men, results are not yet applicable to the general population.  Investigators are motivated with these results and believe they have opened the door to establish specific dietary recommendations for men when it comes to fertility and conception.

Nuts are easy enough to eat as a snack or toss onto a salad or into a stir-fry.  We suggest sneaking them into this side dish, Rainbow Cauliflower & Broccoli with Garlic and Almonds, for a colorful crunch.

Published October 1, 2018