Nutritional modifications in male infertility: a systematic review covering 2 decades.
What this study found
Overall, nutritional modification appeared potentially beneficial, but the evidence was mixed and heterogeneous. The clearest signal was that a healthy diet may improve at least one semen-quality measure, while diets high in lipophilic foods, soy isoflavones, and sweets may worsen semen quality. Among supplement trials, coenzyme Q10 improved semen parameters in two studies and pregnancy rate in one 48-week trial, whereas saffron and selenium alone did not significantly improve semen parameters. Selenium plus vitamin A improved sperm motility and conception chances.
- Study & population
- Systematic review of studies in infertile men with male-factor infertility, including sperm dysfunction, oligozoospermia, and asthenozoospermia.
- Intervention
- This systematic review covered nutritional modifications and micronutrient supplementation for male infertility, including saffron (60 mg/day for 26 weeks), L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine regimens, coenzyme Q10 (300 mg daily for 26 weeks or 300 mg twice daily for 48 weeks), selenium-based supplementation, and one…
- Key limitation
- Evidence was limited by substantial heterogeneity in interventions, populations, outcomes, and study quality.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
CONTEXT Studies suggest that appropriate nutritional modifications can improve the natural conception rate of infertile couples. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to review the human trials that investigated the relation between nutrition and male infertility. DATA SOURCES A comprehensive systematic review of published human studies was carried out by searching scientific databases. Article selection was carried out in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The American Dietetic Association Research Design and Implementation Checklist was also used for quality assessment. DATA EXTRACTION A total of 502 articles were identified, of which 23 studies met the inclusion criteria. DATA SYNTHESIS Results indicated that a healthy diet improves at least one measure of semen quality, while diets high in lipophilic foods, soy isoflavones, and sweets lower semen quality. CONCLUSION The role of daily nutrient exposure and dietary quality needs to be highlighted in male infertility. Mechanistic studies addressing the responsible underlying mechanisms of action of dietary modifications are highly warranted. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION PROSPERO 2013: CRD42013005953. Available at: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42013005953.