by Leigh Ann Woodruff, August 16, 2012
When trying to get pregnant, it may be helpful for men to go a little (wal)nuts for their … ahem … well, for their "nuts."
Researchers at the UCLA School of Nursing have found that the nutrient-rich walnut may improve men's fertility. Eating about two handfuls of walnuts a day improved sperm health in their study
"Women are not the only ones who should be paying attention to what they eat when they are trying to get pregnant," says Wendie Robbins, a professor at the UCLA School of Nursing and UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health and lead author of the study. "This study shows that what men eat is important too."
"We’ve known for a long time that increased oxidative stress, measured in the laboratory as ‘Reactive Oxidative Species' or ‘ROS’ and more recently related to increased rates of DNA fragmentation, has an adverse effect on sperm function and sperm fertilizing capacity," says George M. Grunert, M.D., medical director of Fertility Specialists of Houston. "Reducing ROS and DNA fragmentation improves fertility. A number of anti-inflammatories and antioxidants have been found to be of value, specifically vitamins C, D and E and omega-3 fatty acids. Pharmacologic treatments have focused on non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. As this article points out, walnuts may be another good, natural source of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids."
The Nut Study
The study — "Walnuts Improve Semen Quality in Men Consuming a Western-Style Diet: Randomized Control Dietary Intervention Trial" — has been published in the journal Biology of Reproduction. The study set out to look at the effects of a plant source of omega-3 on sperm and involved 117 men between the ages of 21 and 35. The researchers divided the men into two groups. One group added 75 grams (around 2.5 ounces) of whole-shelled walnuts to their diet daily, and the other group continued their usual diet, but they avoided eating tree nuts.
Both groups of men ate a typical Western-style diet, but the researchers found significant improvements in sperm parameters in the men who ate the walnuts. The men who ate no tree nuts had no change in their sperm.
