Guys looking to increase sperm count can look to vitamins and minerals.
Researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand studied couples who were having trouble conceiving.
Most of the men in the study suffered from low sperm counts or low sperm motility.
A vitamin and mineral supplement, which included vitamin E, L-carnitine, zinc and magnesium, was explored for its effect on male fertility. (Learn How Antioxidants Can Make You Better Looking: Want to Look More Attractive? Eat Carrots)
They found that a couple was more likely to have a pregnancy if the man took the supplement.
"When trying to conceive as part of an assisted reproductive program, it may be advisable to encourage men to take oral antioxidant supplements to improve their partners’ chances of becoming pregnant," said lead researcher Marian Showell, who works in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand. "However, these conclusions are currently based on limited evidence."
But there wasn’t enough data to know the effectiveness of individual vitamins or minerals. (Learn How Sometimes You Need to Get Antioxidants from Food: Should Your Next Vitamin be a Carrot or Pumpkin?)
Read the full release below from The Cochrane Library:
Antioxidants may improve chances of conceiving in male subfertility
Antioxidant supplements may benefit couples who have difficulty conceiving naturally, according to a new systematic review published today in The Cochrane Library. The review provides evidence from a small number of trials that suggest the partners of men who take antioxidants are more likely to become pregnant.
Male subfertility affects one in 20 men. Chemicals called reactive oxygen species (ROS) are said to cause damage to cells, and in particular sperm cells, which may result in lowered sperm counts and interfere with their ability to fertilise eggs. Antioxidants include natural and synthetic chemicals, including certain vitamins and minerals, which help to reduce the damage caused by ROS.
The review focused on 34 trials involving 2,876 couples undergoing assisted reproductive techniques such as in vitro fertilisation and sperm injections. Most men in the trials had low sperm counts or low sperm motility. The trials explored the use of many different types of oral antioxidants, including vitamin E, L-carnitine, zinc and magnesium.
Compared to controls, a couple was more likely to have a pregnancy or live birth if the man took antioxidants.
However, these results are based on just 964 of the couples in the review for pregnancies and 214 couples for live births. Other trials tested the effects of antioxidants on sperm motility and concentration and showed mostly positive effects, although study group sizes were small.
"When trying to conceive as part of an assisted reproductive program, it may be advisable to encourage men to take oral antioxidant supplements to improve their partners’ chances of becoming pregnant," said lead researcher Marian Showell, who works in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand. "However, these conclusions are currently based on limited evidence."
There were not enough data comparing different antioxidants to reach any conclusions about the relative effectiveness of supplements. "We need more head-to-comparisons to understand whether any one antioxidant is performing better than any other," said Showell.
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Now we’d like to hear from you…
Do you get your antioxidants from supplements or from food, or both?
What antioxidant-rich foods do you eat?
Do you notice any benefits?
Please let us know your thoughts by posting a comment below.
Wishing You Best Health!
The Pill Advised Team
Reference:
“Antioxidants for male subfertility.”
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Jan 19;1:CD007411.
Showell MG, Brown J, Yazdani A, Stankiewicz MT, Hart RJ.
Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Auckland, Park Road Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand.
Source:The Cochrane Library consists of seven databases and is used by a broad range of people interested in Evidence-Based Health Care, including consumers, clinicians, policy-makers, researchers, educators, students and others.
