Brazilian study links male fertility to a healthy diet
A man's choice of diet has a direct effect on his fertility, according to a new study published in the Fertility and Sterility journal.The study, led by Edson Borges of the Fertility-Assisted Fertilization Center in Sao Paolo, focused on 250 men whose partners were undergoing fertility treatment and compared their eating and drinking habits with sperm concentration.
The results show that alcohol consumption and a poor diet leading to a high BMI both have a negative effect on sperm concentration and motility.
The authors conclude that "couples seeking assisted reproduction treatments must be advised about the drastic effect of both the male and female lifestyle on treatment success".
Fertility treatments are on the rise in the UK. Between 2009 and 2010, the number of women receiving IVF or ICSI treatments increased by 5.9 per cent, according to figures released this month by the Human Fertilisation Embryology Authority.
