Dairy intake and semen quality among men attending a fertility clinic

Abstract

Objective To examine the relationship between dairy food intake and semen parameters Design Longitudinal study Setting Men attending academic medical center fertility clinic in Boston, MA Patients 155 men Interventions None Main Outcome Measures total sperm count, sperm concentration, progressive motility, and morphology Results Low-fat dairy intake was positively related to sperm concentration and progressive motility. On average, men in the highest quartile of intake (1.22–3.54 servings/day) had 33% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1, 55) higher sperm concentration and 9.3 (95%CI 1.4, 17.2) percentage units higher sperm motility than men in the lowest quartile of intake (≤0.28 servings/day). These associations were primarily explained by intake of low-fat milk. The corresponding results for low-fat milk were 30% (95%CI 1,51) higher sperm concentration and 8.7 (95%CI 3.0, 14.4) percentage units higher sperm motility. Cheese intake was associated with lower sperm concentration among ever smokers. In this group, men in the highest tertile of intake (0.82–2.43 servings/day) had 53.2% (95%CI 9.7, 75.7) lower sperm concentration than men in the lowest tertile of cheese intake (<0.43 servings/day). Conclusions Our findings suggest that low-fat dairy intake, particularly low-fat milk, is related to higher sperm concentration and progressive motility, while cheese intake to lower sperm concentration among past or current smokers.

Nutritional modifications in male infertility: a systematic review covering 2 decades

“…Data suggests that low-fat milk intake may be associated with increased levels of circulating insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and insulin. 70 Results from animal studies indicate that insulin has the potential to rescue spermatogenesis in type 1 diabetic mice 74 as well as increase sperm motility and sperm concentration in rats. 9 Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that IGF-1 protects equine Leydig cells from undergoing apoptosis in vitro.…”

“…In a recent study, Afeiche et al 72 demonstrated that consumption of processed red meat has an inverse effect on sperm concentration and total progressive motile count. Two separate 2014 studies also reported the positive effects of fish 71 and low-fat dairy intake (particularly low-fat milk) 70 on indicators of semen quality.…”

“…Of the 23 included studies, 7 (n ¼ 1084 patients) evaluated the effect of dietary habits and food intake on semen parameters and quality, 2,25,28,48 4 (n ¼ 232 patients) evaluated the effect of carnitine consumption on sperm parameters and quality, 54-57 3 (n ¼ 148 patients) investigated the effect of selenium on sperm parameters, 58-60 2 (n ¼ 481 patients) evaluated the effect of coenzyme Q10 on sperm quality and parameters, 61,62 and each of the remaining articles investigated the effect of saffron, soybased foods, vitamin C, clomiphene citrate, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, beta carotene, and ubiquinol on sperm parameters. [63][64][65][66][67][68][69] The 23 articles included patients from 9 different countries: Iran (6 articles), 2,[61][62][63]67,69 the United States (7 articles), 28,54,58,64,[70][71][72] Italy (3 articles), [55][56][57] Egypt (2 articles), 66,68 the United Kingdom (1 article), 60 Germany (1 article), 65 Poland (1 article), 59 Spain (1 article), 48 and Brazil (1 article). 25 …”

“…Seven studies that investigated the effect of food intake and dietary habits reported a positive association between higher intake of processed meat and sweets and the risk of low sperm quality (Table 2). 2,25,28,48,63,64,[70][71][72] The remaining studies, which investigated the role of specific micronutrient(s) on indicators of semen quality, reported conflicting results (Table 3). 17,[54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][65][66][67]69 Dietary habits and food intake.…”

Physiological and Pathological Roles of Free Radicals in Male Reproduction

“…In a Danish study, men with the highest saturated fat intake presented with a significantly lower total sperm count and concentration in comparison to those with the lowest saturated fat intake [46]. These observations were supported by a later report focused on studying the link between dairy food intake and male fertility and revealing that a low-fat dairy diet may lead to a higher spermatogenesis [47]. On the other hand, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids were shown to improve sperm count, motility and morphology [48].…”