Healthy Eating for Healthy Sperm

by The WellBeing Team March 4, 2011

We all know it takes two to tango but most fertility guidance is sort by female patients. When a female patient is advised to book their partner in for a consultation a common response is can’t you just tell me what he needs to take.

Men generally don’t like to talk about their bits and pieces.

Nutritional therapy to aid male fertility needs to be taken for at least 4 months. It takes the male body 100 days to develop sperm.74 days to make and 10 to 20 days to mature.

If there are no fertility issues I feel it’s still very wise to eat healthy in preparation. Healthy sperm is the first step towards giving your child a good start in live.

There are many reasons why fertility issues occur. It can be stress, lifestyle, occupation, pathology and medical treatments. These reasons can have varied impact on the body such as digestion, reducing the amount of nutrients absorbed, neural responses reducing muscle tone and activity as nerves activate muscle and muscles movement is part of the circulation system. The immune system can be compromised resulting in inflammatory reaction that can affect sperm quality and count. Add all of these together and you don’t have the other most important component and that’s libido. So what can men do to increase their fertility? Start eating healthy specifically for healthy sperm. Below are listed common nutrients mostly obtained from the diet? There are other nutrients such as amino acids Carnitine, Arginine and Taurine, Ubiquinone (CQ10) and probiotics if indicated.

The main nutrients required are as follows.

Zinc is required for healthy testosterone production. Sperm quality and motility.
Vitamin C assist motility by inhibiting sperm clumping
Vitamin E effects the number and quality of sperm,
Essential fatty acids specifically Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) aids sperm motility
Selenium aids apoptosis (cell death). Each cell is programmed to destroy itself once it is mutated by a virus, bacteria or chemicals. If selenium is low then apoptosis is absent and mutations in the cell occur. It aids the morphology of semen and the count.
Folate reduces abnormalities and protects the DNA

What food has these nutrients in them?

Zinc	Pepitas (little green pumpkin seeds) sunflower seeds, seafood, oyster, eggs, lean red meat, mushrooms.
Vitamin C	This is a vitamin you will need to supplement it is obtainable in food but not at the levels required.
Vitamin E	Eggs, and raw nuts and seeds such as almonds, hazelnut and sunflower seeds
Essential fatty acids	Avocadoes, eggs, linseed, salmon, sardines, mackerel
Selenium	Brazil nuts (you only need four)
Folate	Green leafy vegetables, avocadoes, eggs

Things not to Do

You don’t want your semen to be sleeping on the job so please

Don’t smoke.
Don’t drink alcohol.
Don’t take recreational drugs.
Don’t wear overly tight pants.
Dont eat junk food or lots of fried food.

Other things to Do for Healthy Happy Sperm

Exercise a few times a week.
Keep well hydrated and find a stress release. No matter what ails a person reducing the stress in your life will ultimately complement any form of treatment.
Have your vitamin D tested. This is the sunshine vitamin and not surprisingly it’s a common deficiency. We slip-slop-slap, work long days inside and if outside are well covered. Getting the right amount of Vitamin D in modern life is challenging.