Fighting IF On 03/31/2008
Folate may boost male fertility
tags: "fertility, "folate", "healthier", "sperm"", "vitamin", for, men"
REPRODUCTION
Folate, a vitamin found naturally in leafy green vegetables, may help men make healthier sperm, a new study shows. The importance of folate was established after several studies recognized that pregnant women who took the vitamin were less likely to have babies with neural tube defects. While folate remains a standard part of the diet for women readying to conceive, the role of the vitamin in the diets of fathers has been unclear. Researchers, including co-investigator Brenda Eskenazi from the University of California Berkeley's Public School of Health, decided to investigate how folate might affect sperm. Folate is a key ingredient in making DNA, RNA, and protein: the essential machinery for running cells - including the sperm. After surveying 97 non-smoking men who had no prior history of fertility problems, they found that men who had the highest intake of the vitamin had nearly a 20 percent reduction in the number of abnormal sperm. "If these results hold up in
large studies," Eskenazi said, "one day we may be recommending folate for men as well."
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BOTTOM LINE: Men who take higher doses of folate make healthier sperm - potentially reducing the chances of miscarriage or genetic problems in the baby.
CAUTIONS: "We can't be sure that folate is solely responsible for the decreased number of abnormalities," Eskenazi said, since men who eat higher folate may have an overall better diet.
WHAT'S NEXT: A randomized control trial is necessary to evaluate the possible role of folate in reducing genetic abnormalities in sperm.
WHERE TO FIND IT: The Journal of Human Reproduction, March 19.
Increase your chances of conception with fertility diet
tags: fertility diet, odds of conception, pregnancy related, pregnant
The book deals specifically with failure to get pregnant because of a failure to ovulate, which the doctors say is one of the most common pregnancy-related problems. They suggest that if you’re having trouble getting pregnant you should see a doctor to rule out other problems before relying on the advice in the book, but the diet suggested here would work for anyone, male or female, trying to conceive or not, who wants to be healthier.
The book provides 10 general tips to improve the odds of conception:
1. Cut out trans fats.
2. Eat more unsaturated fats like olive oil.
3. Get more protein from vegetables and less from meat.
4. Pick whole grains over refined carbohydrates.
5. Get a serving or two of full-fat dairy daily.
6. Take a multivitamin that includes plenty of folic acid.
7. Get iron from fruits, vegetables and beans rather than meat.
8. Cut out soft drinks and get most of your liquid refreshment from water, with coffee or tea in moderation.
9. Maintain a healthy weight or lose weight if you need to.
10. Start exercising daily if you aren’t already, or pick up the pace if you do work out, unless you’re already skinny.
Tell Me About It: People with infertility share joy of births
tags: fertility issues, pregnancy, ultrasound
Readers give their opinions on issues they've seen in the column:
• On infertility:
Not all of us dealing with infertility are incapable of hearing about, celebrating and enjoying others' pregnancies. I completely understand women who are having difficulty, but pay attention to the woman before deciding to keep her out of the loop.
I'm tired of having ultrasound pictures hidden from me as I walk into a room. I just learned of a faraway relation's pregnancy three days after the birth of her child because people "couldn't bear" to tell me she was pregnant.
What a crock. I love kids. I don't begrudge anyone the joy of having them, anticipating them, celebrating them. People, if you're close enough to know a person is having fertility issues, you're close enough to ask whether they wish to be involved with baby issues.
-- Anywhere
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