Sperm Quality Shows Strong Links to Dietary fat

A new study has found that men who consumed large quantities of dietary fat had significantly lower sperm production and concentration than men who had lower fat intake.

Researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon, NH, USA), the Harvard School of Public Health (Boston, MA, USA) and other institutions conducted a clinical study involving 99 men (mean age 36, 89% Caucasian, 71% overweight or obese) to examine the relation between dietary fats and semen quality parameters. Semen quality data were analyzed from all participants, and fatty acid levels in sperm and seminal plasma were measured using gas chromatography in a subgroup of 23 men. Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The men were divided by tertiles of fat intake (26%, 32%, and 37% of total daily caloric intake), while corresponding figures for saturated fat were 8%, 10%, and 13%.

The results showed that a 5% increase in dietary fat intake was associated with an 18% decrease in sperm count. The association appeared to be driven by saturated fat, as a 5% increase in saturated fat calories at the expense of carbohydrate calories was associated with a higher 38% reduction in sperm count. After adjustment for a variety of lifestyle factors, men in the highest tertile of saturated fat consumption had a 41% lower sperm concentration compared with men in the two lower tertiles. Increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids had a significant association with better sperm morphology. The study was published ahead of print on March 13, 2012, in Human Reproduction.

“High intake of saturated fats was negatively related to sperm concentration, whereas higher intake of omega-3 fats was positively related to sperm morphology,” concluded lead author Jill Attaman, MD, of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and colleagues. “Given the limitations of the current study, in particular, the fact that it is a cross-sectional analysis and that it is the first report of a relation between dietary fat and semen quality, it is essential that these findings be reproduced in future work.”

Related Links:
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Harvard School of Public Health