Male Fertility foods - Carrots, melon, tomatoes
Recent studies have proved that average sperm counts in men have fallen by over half, due to pollution and life style changes .
Research conducted in Harvard university has proven beyond doubt that food can affect sperm quantity and quality .Several yellow and orange-colored fruits and vegetables can improve men’s fertility, but the carrot produced the best all-round results.Carrots have beta-carotene which helps create antioxidants and Vitamin A.Carrots are not only good for your vision, they can also improve fertility in men by boosting sperm quality.Researchers from Harvard University School of Public Health discovered that carrots have the greatest impact on the ability of sperm to swim towards an egg.
The sperm-boosting qualities come from chemicals called carotenoids, which give such foods their familiar colour and the body converts some of these into health-boosting antioxidant vitamin A .They had the greatest effect on improving motility and help to counter asthenoteratozoospermia.( reduced motility of sperm) .Carotenoids will help in providing high sperm motility and provide good sperm morphology.
Antioxidants help to neutralise free radicals, destructive groups of atoms that are a by-product of metabolism which can damage cell membranes and DNA.DNA fragmentation ( broken DNA ) is a common concern in male subfertility.
Sweet potatoes are jam-packed with Vitamin A,B &C, beta carotene, Antioxidants, Potassium calcium and iron and is a good source of complex carbohydrates which help to stabilize the blood sugar
Water melon and tomatoes, which contain chemical lycopene, can reduce abnormally shaped sperm ( teratozoospermia) and was found to increase the production of healthy sperm.Men who consumed these foods had fewer abnormally shaped sperm due to the presence of anti-cancer chemical lycopene
Sweet potato and melon can enhance the quantity and quality of sperm, but carrots were found to improve sperm performance by between 6.5 and 8 per cent, according to a report in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
Dr.Anita Mani
***Infertility& Surrogacy Specialist at Gift IVF Centre
