Diet impacts a large proportion of your health and bodily functions, but what many men aren’t aware of is that it can also affect your sperm count. A new study has shown that carbohydrates and dairy can lower the quality of his sperm – the more he eats, the lower the quality gets. In two other similar studies involving IVF, it was discovered that women who lowered their carb intake whilst upping the amount of protein they ate actually increased their chances of getting pregnant. The studies did show a connection between diet and fertility, but they didn’t prove any cause-and-effect links. The research for IVF was carried out by Dr J.B Russell at the Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del. The sperm studies were carried out by Dr Jorge Chavarro and Myriam Afeiche, at the Harvard School of Public Health. New studies have shown that there seems to be a downward trend in sperm counts throughout the world for the entire 20th century, and this looks to be continuing into the 21st century as well. The effects of this are not yet clear, but it could well have a detrimental effect. One of the proposed hypotheses is that the exposure to environmental factors, such as environmental oestrogens, could well be the culprit. Obesity is also an important factor, being responsible for many health problems, including fertility.
The carb study involved just under 200 active and healthy men aged between 18 and 22, most of whom were white. The dietary analysis showed that the carbohydrate intake of these men accounted for almost half of all of their calories consumed. However, the carb intake didn’t seem to affect the sperm’s shape or mobility. The more they consumed, however, the lower the overall sperm count was. Where dairy is concerned, the research team noted that the sperm shape was less likely to be normal in comparison to the carb group the more dairy they ate. They noticed that in participants who ate full-fat dairy products, such as cheese, cream and whole milk, the connection was especially strong. The sperm count and movement didn’t appear to be affected by the relationship though. Chavarro stated that the results were still relevant when body weight, alcohol and caffeine consumption, and smoking history were taken into account.
The two other studies involved women undergoing In Vitro Fertilisation. 120 women were first asked to filled out a three-day dietary diary before they had any IVF treatments. Researchers noted that those with a high protein and low carbohydrate intake had a better chance overall of being successful when the egg was fertilised and later becoming pregnant. In a smaller study of just 12 women, who had already tried and failed to become pregnant through IVF, the dietary analysis took place again. When counselled to up their protein and lower their carb intake, there was better success rates across the board. The studies offer a significant body of evidence to suggest that our diets play a bigger role than first thought in the success rates of pregnancy, and of keeping the reproductive organs healthy. Naturally, a healthy and balanced diet is important in any person, so as to keep the organs and bodily processes working efficiently and to maintain a healthy weight. If you’re concerned about your ability to get pregnant, you should seek medical advice from your GP before making any drastic dietary changes, in order to ensure that it is safe for you.