Could walnuts improve male fertility?

Yes, walnuts - apparently eating two and a half ounces of walnuts a day could improve male fertility...

A new study from the States has found that men who ate 2.5 ounces of walnuts a day showed an improvement in their sperm vitality, motility and morphology.  It seems that walnuts are a very good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids which are known to be important for sperm production, and are also a good natural plant source of omega 3 - which may explain the results.

The researchers only looked at healthy young men, who were under the age of 35 and who didn't have existing fertility problems, so it cannot be said with certainty that the results would be the same in older men who were trying unsuccessfully to start a family - but having said that, if you don't have a nut allergy and don't mind eating walnuts, there's certainly nothing to be lost and potentially everything to be gained - the team set the level of walnuts to be eaten very precisely in order to ensure maximum benefit without the risk of putting on weight!

There has been much debate in recent years about how our lifestyles might be affecting our fertility and whether a Western diet could have a negative impact - and this new research provides food for thought...  You can read more here 

Healthy diet, healthy sperm...

New research from the States has found that men who have a diet high in saturated fat have considerably lower sperm counts. The researchers followed men attending a fertility clinic and analysed their diet and their sperm over a period of time. It became clear that those who ate more unsaturated fat had markedly lower sperm counts than average, and that those who had diets which were high in omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and plant oils, had higher sperm counts. However, it is important to note that many of those who ate more saturated fat were also overweight, and many of the participants in the study were classified as obese and this could also be playing a part.

What is very apparent is that maintaining a healthy diet and keeping within normal weight parameters is definitely important when it comes to male fertility. All too often, it is assumed that women are the ones who need to make all the lifestyle changes when a couple experiences difficulty conceiving, but this research shows that men need to make just as much effort!

You can find details of the study, published in Human Reproduction, here

Attractive men produce less sperm

If you've got a low sperm count, it may be down to the fact that you're so good looking... New research suggests that attractive males don't produce as many sperm as their less handsome counterparts. Apparently this is part of a pattern seen in some animal species where males who attract more females produce fewer sperm each time they mate. The males who aren't as popular with women need to produce more sperm each time they ejaculate in order to maximise their chances of reproducing, as they will get to mate less frequently.

The research is part of a study from researchers at University College London and the University of Oxford, and you can find out more at www.ucl.ac.uk