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Consuming walnuts can enhance sperm motility and morphology, potentially improving fertility in males with infertility issues.
This study was a randomized clinical trial split into two comparison groups, all of which received typical care for male infertility. Besides the usual care, one group added 42 gm/d walnuts to their diet, while the other group included a daily nutritional supplement recommended for male reproductive health. The participants, a total of 75 in number and with varied demographic profiles, were enrolled at an infertility clinic located in a large metropolitan medical center. The study ran for 3 months, with research measures including semen analysis and blood samples at baseline and after 3 months, while dietary recall and fertility reports were obtained at various stages.
In terms of results, the group consuming walnuts showed a marked increase in sperm motility and concentration after 3 months. Simultaneously, both groups—those consuming walnuts and the group consuming the nutritional supplement—demonstrated an improvement in sperm morphology. Further, preliminary data observed over one year suggested a higher frequency of pregnancy in the group consuming walnuts, although it was not statistically significant.
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Regular consumption of nuts improves sperm parameters such as motility, vitality, and morphology, potentially promoting successful reproductive outcomes in healthy males.
2024 Advances in Nutrition Nut Consumption and Fertility: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Cardoso BR, Fratezzi I, Kellow NJ
Systematic Review Female Fertility Nut Nut Consumption
The researchers in this study carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis, exploring the impact of nut intake on fertility outcomes. They sourced data from four databases: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus, from their inception until June 2023. The inclusion criteria for articles were humans of reproductive age who had consumed nuts for a minimum of three months, with any consequent fertility-related outcomes reported. The researchers undertook a random-effects meta-analysis to produce a collective estimate of the effect of nut consumption on four specific sperm characteristics: total motility, vitality, morphology, and concentration.
In this review and meta-analysis, the researchers involved four studies, evaluating a total of 875 participants, composed of 646 males and 229 females. For males, two randomized control trials involving 223 individuals revealed that a daily consumption of at least 60g of nuts led to an improvement in sperm motility, vitality, and morphology, compared to those consuming fewer nuts, though it did not affect sperm concentration. Conversely, the non-randomized studies could not discern an association between nut consumption and traditional sperm parameters in males, nor could they establish a link between nut intake and embryo implantation, clinical pregnancy or live birth in males and females undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).
Ginger significantly improves sperm health, enhancing quality parameters like count, viability, motility, morphology and DNA integrity, thereby boosting fertility.
2021 Veterinary Medicine and Science A systematic review on the effect of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) on improvement of biological and fertility indices of sperm in laboratory animals, poultry and humans Gholami‐Ahangaran M, Karimi‐Dehkordi M, Akbari Javar A, Haj Salehi M, Ostadpoor M
Systematic Review Ginger Sperm Quality Testosterone
The study investigated the impact of ginger on semen quality across different species. It focused on key sperm parameters including count, viability, motility, morphology, and DNA integrity. The research pointed to the antioxidant properties of ginger, attributed to active phenolic compounds, which disrupt the production of free radicals - these are known to cause oxidative stress and negatively impact the quality of sperm. The study also noted ginger's androgenic activity and the associated influence on the levels of gonadotropin and sex hormones, such as testosterone.
In the discussion of results, it was identified that ginger minimizes DNA failures, reduces damage to the mitochondrial genome in sperm cells, and essentially moulds a sperm with apt morphological structure. The sperm, under the influence of ginger, attains progressive motility, high viability, and increased fertility. Overall, the entire fertility indicators of sperm also saw an upswing with the usage of ginger - reinforcing its effectiveness in increasing the total motility, survival rate, the normal morphological structure of sperm, and the number of sperm cells.
Incorporating tree nuts into a Western-style diet subtly modifies specific DNA methylation regions within sperm, thereby showing parts of the sperm epigenome can respond to dietary changes.
2020 Andrology Sperm DNA methylation changes after short‐term nut supplementation in healthy men consuming a Western‐style diet Salas‐Huetos A, James ER, Salas‐Salvadó J, Bulló M, Aston KI, Carrell DT, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Hazelnut Sperm Quality Walnut
The study methodology involved a post hoc analysis with a subset of the participants (healthy, non-smoking, and young) from the FERTINUTS 14-week randomized-controlled, parallel trial. The selected participants were from the pool of individuals who completed the entire dietary intervention trial. These individuals were split into two groups: the nut group, which consumed 60 grams per day of mixed nuts for 14 weeks, and the control group, who maintained their regular Western-style diet devoid of nuts.
Investigation of the trial's results revealed no significant changes in overall methylation between the two groups. However, for the nut group, there were 36 genomic regions distinctly showing differential methylation between the beginning and end of the trial with a marked increase in methylation. No such changes were identified in the control group. Analysis also involved examining if nut consumption led to changes in the epigenetic age of cells, but no significant differences were discovered.
Date palm fruit extract may mitigate some harmful effects of formaldehyde on male fertility by improving testosterone, sperm, and testicular conditions.
2020 International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine (IJRM) The prophylactic effect of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit extract on testicular toxicity induced by formaldehyde: An experimental study Zaren M, Haghpanah T, Asadi Shekari M, Hassan Eftekhar-Vaghefi S
Experimental Study Date Fruit Sperm Quality Testosterone
The study divided thirty-two male mice of similar ages and weight ranges into four groups. The control group was given distilled water orally for 35 days. The Formaldehyde group received a Formaldehyde dose for 20 days. The third group took a Date fruit extract dose for 35 days followed by a Formaldehyde dose for 20 days while the last group was administered Date fruit extract for 35 days. Following these treatments, blood was collected and epididymis and testis tissues analyzed to evaluate sperm characteristics and conduct a histological examination respectively.
Results showed that formaldehyde administration increased sperm deformities, decreased sperm count, livability, and motility, and reduced testosterone levels in comparison to the control group. Histological assessments showed that formaldehyde induced changes in the testes, including damage to the germinal epithelium and vacuolization of the tubules. However, the consumption of Date palm fruit extract was found to ameliorate the effects noticed due to formaldehyde on testosterone levels, sperm, and testicular parameters.
Date palm components (pollen, pit powder, and gemmule extract) significantly improve male fertility directly through hormonal changes and indirectly via antioxidant abilities.
2017 Journal of the American College of Nutrition Effect of Pollen, Pit Powder, and Gemmule Extract of Date Palm on Male Infertility: A Systematic Review Tatar T, Akdevelioğlu Y
Systematic Review Date Fruit Sperm Quality
The methodology used to gather the data for this study involved an extensive review of articles published between 2005 and 2016 on the subject matter. Various medical, scientific and academic databases were searched in both English and Turkish, including PubMed, Science Direct, Clinical Key, Google Scholar, Springer, Dergipark, Ulakbim, and Akademik Dizin. The review focused on the effects of pollen, pit powder, and gemmule extract of the date palm on male fertility.
In regard to the results, the research identified that there is a positive correlation between the use of date palm components and male fertility. The date palm elements were found to cause beneficial alterations in hormone levels associated with male fertility. Additionally, an increase in sperm motility and quality, spermatogenesis, and weights of testes and epididymis were also reported. Antioxidant capacities due to phenolic compounds in the date palm components play a significant role in this improvement, as do included gonadotropic and steroidal compounds.
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