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Diet and male fertility: What is good and what is bad

Infertility is on the rise and a lot is spoken about it these days. There are a lot of steps that you can take to better your sperm volume and you might have heard about the standard ones. Like don’t wear tight clothes, keep the laptop far away from your lap, avoid keeping you mobile phones in your pant pockets or stop smoking as soon as possible. But there are a very few advices regarding the food that one eats. Men have not very frequently heard about anything in their diet that can affect their sperm count.  Researchers have been working on to suggest people, what they should include in their diet and what should be avoided to increase the count, motility and the normal shape of the sperm.

Processed meats

Meat is considered as a staple food in a man’s diet, but if you are having the wrong type of meat, your sperms will have to be compromised, it has been seen that men who consumed more of processed meat like hamburgers, sausages, salami and bacon had 23% lower healthy sperms than men who had this sparingly.

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If you want to boost your sperm health, sea food could be a better option, as research has shown that on average 51% higher sperm count than those who don’t have fish. As it has fatty acids which helps in boosting healthy sperms

Full Fat Dairy Products

Men who had full-fat-dairy products like full fat milk and cheese had a less motile sperm. This is also mainly because of the contamination of milk through various environmental factors like chemicals and pesticides which are attracted to the fat in dairy products, this may leads to subpar sperm, the scientists say.

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You don’t have to give up dairy products altogether; it was found that those men who had low fat dairy products had 33% higher sperm count and more motile sperm than those who don’t have low fat dairy products

Non-organic produce

The fresh fruits and vegetables may come with a side of pesticides and this may affect the sperm, it has been seen that pesticide residue decreases the motility of the sperm and lower number of normal sperms are produced. Pesticides may affect your hormonal balance, which can interfere with your body’s production of sperm

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It is not advisable that you stop consuming fruits and vegetables but instead try having organic grown produce that will not harm your body.

Alcohol

Consuming alcohol may have a harmful impact on sperm concentration and motility, large amounts of alcohol may lead to total-body oxidative stress, which is a key cause of male infertility, the researchers say. When consumed alcohol with responsibility it has no effect on sperm quality

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An infrequent beer probably won’t do your body any harm, but if you’re constantly sipping on something apart from water, make sure it is a fruit juice. In a study done on male rats who were given pomegranate juice on a daily basis experienced a boost in sperm count and motility. This juice is a rich source of antioxidants, like vitamin C, and even though this was an animal study, past research has correlated a high intake of antioxidants in men to improved semen quality. Men who consume a healthier diet with higher antioxidants — particularly from natural foods, as opposed to supplements are likely to have higher sperm motility.

Soda

A regular consumption of sweetened aerated drinks more than a serving a  day is related to poor sperm motility. Since this boost the insulin which in turn leads to oxidative stress that harms the sperms according to scientists.

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If your desire for sugar goes up, try to have a fruit. Studies have shown that fruits have a positive effect on sperm quality, but ensure that you thoroughly wash the fruits before consuming it or stick to organic produce.

This list of foods is definitely not a comprehensive one. Eating a balanced diet which is rich in minerals such as zinc and vitamins such as A, B12, C, and folic acid will ensure that extra sperms are produced in your testes and they are healthy enough to fertilize an egg. So it is advisable for all the men to keep a check on what you are eating so that you maintain a healthy nutritional diet. Also, consult your doctor to know what all you should include in your diet for better results.

Be healthy, be happy!

Tags: Diet for male infertility, male fertility What is good and what is bad, Male Infertility