Watch closely as this egg and sperm meet for the first time. This is the acrosome reaction we have been talking about. Male factor infertility or sub-fertility is responsible for up to fifty percent of infertility cases. According to the National Library of Medicine, a considerable body of recent studies indicates that lifestyle as well as environmental and psychological factors can negatively affect male fertility. These negative effects have been shown in many cases to be reversible. For example, when we touched on the subject of cigarette smoking and sub-fertility in men; it has been demonstrated that smoking cessation coupled with Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), selenium, zinc, coenzyme Q10 and Omega- 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in heavy smokers has a statistically significant relationship with better sperm qualities. Antioxidant supplementation has also been shown to cause a statistically significant improvement in viable pregnancy rate. A few antioxidant rich foods include: Goji berries, wild blueberries, dark chocolate, pecans and cranberries. A healthy amount of exercise in men can also be beneficial. Physically active men who exercised at least three times a week for one hour typically scored higher in almost all sperm parameters in comparison to men who do not exercise. Consuming a diet rich in carbohydrates, fiber, folate, and lycopene as well as consuming fruit and vegetables correlated with improved semen quality too.
This concludes our Men’s Health segment. In our next segment we will be discussing Female Reproductive Health and Fertility (special thanks to our follower @andreasj26 on Instagram for suggesting the topic).
Written by Student Doctor: Navpreet Singh Badesha ©07/15/2017 All Rights Reserved.
This research was published in the National Library of Medicine: (Article One) (Article Two) (Article Three)
