Gentlemen: For Sperm's Sake! Eat Your Fish, Veggies and Whole Grains

What were some of the things your mom said to you at dinner time when you were young? "Eat your vegetables so you grow big and strong!" Or: "Eat your spinach. It's good for you. That's why." Or, my favorite: "Garbage in, garbage out."

Even back then, you knew your mom was right about healthy foods -- you just didn't want to listen to her, because soggy cooked spinach is as appealing to kids as soggy cooked lima beans. You just knew that you could either attempt to slip it to the dog under the table, or you'd be sitting at that table for hours until you could choke that soggy (and now cold and congealing) cooked spinach down. Of course, back then you didn't know why those "healthy" nasty-tasting green foods were good for you. And back then, you had no idea you needed to eat nutritious foods for the sake of the health of your sperm.

(In all fairness, though, your mom didn't know she was talking about your sperm, either.)

It wasn't until just recently that researchers discovered a significant link between a healthy, varied diet and sperm quality in men. And what they found was pretty much the same thing that your mom always told you: eating your protein, veggies and whole grains will make you(r sperm) healthier. The research shows that not only does better nutrition increase sperm motility (the ability of the sperm to move properly so it can swim to the egg), it is also shows up in the structure of the sperm and seminal plasma. Men whose diets are high in trans fats will have sperm and seminal plasma (the protective liquid that surrounds sperm and helps them to swim through a hostile environment) that are partially made from trans fats. In other words, mom would say: "You are what you eat."

Gentlemen! Go forth and embrace a healthy diet. Eat fish. Eat lean meats. Eat vegetables (of all colors, please). And eat whole grains. Your mom, Euell Gibbons, your future children and the researchers who presented their work at this year's annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine would all be proud.

Euell Gibbons, natural food evangelist and all-around "back to nature" kind of guy.



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(Partners: if possible, try not to nag him too much. Change is a difficult thing. Encourage nutritious eating habits and casually remind him that eating salmon, broccoli and quinoa is much cheaper than forking over $15,000 for an IVF cycle.)

Better Nutrition Makes for Better Sperm October 17, 2011 Orlando, FL -A pair of studies presented today at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) show a link between dietary patterns and semen parameters in men: in short, better nutrition makes for better semen. The first study was conducted by an international team from the Harvard School of Public Health, University of Rochester and the University of Murcia in Spain. The University of Rochester’s Young Men’s Study recruited men aged 18-22. Diets were assessed via a questionnaire and semen quality via standard measures of sperm concentration, motility and morphology in semen samples. Statistical methods were used to control for potentially confounding factors such as race, tobacco use and BMI. Using a factor analysis, the men’s diets were identified into two types: a Western diet, characterized by high intakes of red meat and refined grains, or a Prudent diet, with high intakes of fish, vegetables and whole grains. Adherence to a Prudent diet was associated with higher sperm motility. Sperm morphology showed no association with diet, and after adjusting for total caloric intake, neither did sperm concentration. In the second study, men attending the Fertility Center at Massachusetts General Hospital were recruited. They too completed food journals and underwent semen analysis. In addition, semen samples of a subset of subjects were chosen for more detailed analysis to measure the level of trans fats. The study revealed that a diet high in trans-fats was negatively associated with sperm concentration levels. In addition, it was positively associated with higher levels of trans-fats in the sperm and seminal plasma. “We are still exploring the impact of nutrition on male fertility, but even these initial studies point to a link between a good diet and reproductive health for men,” said Edward Kim, MD, President of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology. O-27 Dietary Patterns and Semen Quality in Young Men AJ Gaskins et al O-48 Intake of Trans Fatty Acids and Semen Quality Among Men Attending a Fertility Clinic JE Chavarro et al The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, founded in 1944, is an organization of more than 7,000 physicians, researchers, nurses, technicians and other professionals dedicated to advancing knowledge and expertise in reproductive biology. Affiliated societies include the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, the Society of Reproductive Surgeons and the Society of Reproductive Biologists and Technologists.