Many studies have focused on male infertility. There is limited evidence about the influence of nutrition on quality of semen. Approximately, 30-80% of infertility cases are caused by oxidative stress and decreased level of seminal total antioxidant capacity. This study was aimed to review the effects of oral antioxidant supplements on improving major semen parameters such as sperm concentration, motility, morphology, DNA damage, and fertility rate. Data were extracted from PubMed and Google scholar database by using the terms "antioxidant", "multivitamin", "carnitine", "CoQ10", "vitamin C", "vitamin E", "zinc", "folic acid", "N-acetyl cysteine" and "selenium" combined with "male infertility", "semen", and "sperm" to generate a set of relevant citations. Supplements such as CoQ10 and alphatocopherol significantly improve sperm count. Also, carnitine has positive effects on sperm motility and morphology. Simultaneous administration of vitamin E and vitamin C reduces the sperm DNA damage. However, in some studies, one or more factors have not changed substantially. In most of the studies, antioxidant supplementation improved the number, motility, morphology and sometimes DNA integrity of sperm. The present study showed that antioxidant supplements, especially a combination of antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and CoQ10 intake can effectively improve semen parameters in infertile men.

Background: Over the past few decades, the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) has risen rapidly in Iran and other low and middle-income countries. We investigated the prevalence of DM, pre-diabetes, undiagnosed and uncontrolled diabetes and its relationship with some associated socioeconomic factors in the Yazd Greater Area in Iran. Methods: Yazd Health Study is a longitudinal study conducted to determine the prevalence of non-communicable disease and related risk factors. In a two-step cluster sampling, 10,000 adults aged 20-69 years (200 clusters) were selected. In the recruitment phase, DM was considered if the patients had been either diagnosed DM by a physician or had fasting blood glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL. Chi square test was used for categorical variables to evaluate the differences and logistic regression model was applied to determine the predictors of diabetes.. P-value < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 9965 individuals recruited, the crude self-reported prevalence of DM was 14.1% (95% CI: 13.4-14.7). The prevalence was higher in women than men (15.6 vs.12.4%), significantly. The age-standardized prevalence of DM was 8%. The prevalence was 14.9% in Yazd local people and 8.6% in those residents migrated from other provinces (P < 0.0001). We showed a significant association between DM prevalence and age, education, marital status, unemployment, insurance status, and positive family history (P < 0.0001). The prevalence of DM diagnosed by phycisians was 16.1% in participants (age-standardized prevalence: 8.3%). The subset analysis showed that 4.8% of patients were not aware of their disease. The prevalence of pre-diabetes was 25.8%. Of those with diabetes, 58.3% were not adequately controlled, which is not statistically significant with socioeconomic status. Conclusion: The current study showed a high prevalence of DM in Yazd Greater Area which is closely related to some socio-demographic factors. The high prevalence of pre-diabetes is alarming. Effective strategies for DM prevention should be introduced. The majority of people with diabetes are aware, but half of them are not controlled. The ineffective care plan currently in use, should be reviewed. Patients needs to be encouraged to improve their lifestyle. Active follow-up of patients is recommended to ensure continuity of care.

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Low seminal plasma concentrations of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) have been correlated with impaired sperm parameters, but the exact mechanism remains of dominating interest. This randomised, placebo-controlled study examined the effect of CoQ10 on catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and F 2 -isoprostanes in seminal plasma in infertile men and their relation with CoQ10 concentration. Sixty infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) were randomised to receive 200 mg d À1 of CoQ10 or placebo for 3 months. 47 persons of them completed the study. Semen analysis, anthropometric measurements, diet and physical activity assessment were performed for subjects before and after treatment. Independent and paired t-test, chi-square test and ANCOVA were compared outcomes of supplementation between two groups. CoQ10 levels increased from 44.74 AE 36.47 to 68.17 AE 42.41 ng ml À1 following supplementation in CoQ10 (P < 0.001). CoQ10 group had higher catalase and SOD activity than the placebo group. There was a significant positive correlation between CoQ10 concentration and normal sperm morphology (P = 0.037), catalase (P = 0.041) and SOD (P < 0.001). Significant difference was shown between the mean of changes in seminal plasma 8-isoprostane in two groups (P = 0.003) after supplementation. Three-month supplementation with CoQ10 in OAT infertile men can attenuate oxidative stress in seminal plasma and improve semen parameters and antioxidant enzymes activity.

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There is limited evidence that ginger (生薑 shēng jiāng) powder consumption can relieve pain and inflammation because of its special phytochemical properties. This study is aimed at investigating the effect of ginger powder supplementation on some inflammatory markers in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis. This is a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial with a follow-up period of 3 months that was conducted on 120 outpatients with moderately painful knee osteoarthritis. Patients were randomly divided up into two groups: ginger group (GG) or placebo group (PG). Both groups received two identical capsules on a daily basis for 3 months. Each ginger capsule contained 500 mg of ginger powder; the placebo capsules had 500 mg of starch in them. Serum samples were collected prior to and after the intervention and were stored at −70 °C until the end of the study. Serum concentration of nitric oxide (NO) and hs-C reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of inflammatory markers (i.e., NO and hs-CRP) prior to the intervention. However, after 3 months of supplementation, serum concentration of NO and hs-CRP decreased in the GG. After 12 weeks, the concentration of these markers declined more in the GG than in the PG. Ginger powder supplementation at a dose of 1 g/d can reduce inflammatory markers in patients with knee osteoarthritis, and it thus can be recommended as a suitable supplement for these patients.

There is limited evidence that ginger powder consumption can relieve pain and inflammation due to specific anti-inflammatory phytochemical constitutents. This study investigates the effect of ginger supplementation on proinflammatory factors in participants (n = 120) of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled 3-month clinical trial investigating knee osteoarthritis. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the ginger group (GG) or the placebo group (PG). Administered daily for 3 months, participants in the GG intervention received capsules containing 500 mg of ginger powder, while PG participants received capsules filled with 500 mg starch. Serum samples collected at baseline and 3 months were analyzed for serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). At baseline, proinflammatory cytokine concentrations did not differ by group. However, at 3 months, both cytokines decreased in the GG relative to the PG. The results of this study indicate that ginger supplementation may have a promising benefits for knee osteoarthritis and may, therefore, may warrant further study.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of chronic liver diseases associated with unfavorable metabolic profiles and oxidative stress parameters. This study was designed to determine the effects of purslane seeds consumption with a low‐calorie diet on insulin resistance, lipid profile, and oxidative stress indices in patients with NAFLD. This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 54 individuals with NAFLD. Subjects were randomly assigned to consume either 10 g/day of purslane seeds sachet before breakfast and dinner in addition to a low‐calorie diet (n = 27) or only the low‐calorie diet (n = 27) for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples were collected at the beginning and end of the study to measure relevant variables. Intake of purslane seeds with the low‐calorie diet led to a significant decrease in serum concentrations of fasting blood sugar (FBS; −3.52 ± 10.45 compared with 3.03 ± 9.01 mg/dl, P = 0.017), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI; 0.13 ± 0.27 compared with −0.002 ± 0.016, P = 0.017), total cholesterol (4.33 ± 34.04 compared with 23.48 ± 29.47 mg/dl, P = 0.032), and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C; −4.35 ± 22.65 compared with 11.82 ± 16.08 mg/dl, P = 0.004) after intervention. Compared with the control group, purslane seeds consumption with adherence to a low‐calorie diet had beneficial effects on FBS, HOMA‐IR, QUICKI, serum total, and LDL‐C in patients with NAFLD but did not affect other glycemic, lipid profile, and oxidative stress parameters.