All about sperm. It takes two to tango!

Healthy Male = Healthy Sperm =
Healthy Fetus = Healthy Child

There is great awareness about the importance of mothers developing healthy habits for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. That is a good thing! What is often ignored is that it takes two to tango, or in this case, to make a healthy human.

The father’s health and lifestyle affect fertility, conception and the baby’s health.

Research has found correlation between the father’s health and lifestyle and miscarriage, infertility, childhood cancers and birth defects. The good news for those trying to conceive (TTC) is that it takes 100 days for sperm to develop. Therefore addressing the father’s nutrition for at least 100 days before TTC can make a difference in the health of their child.

Research also suggests that paternal smoking during the year prior to birth, including the pre-conception period and pregnancy, may play a role in childhood Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors and childhood cancers.

Want Healthy Sperm? Here Is How:

• It takes 100 days for sperm to develop (74 to form and 20-30 to mature), therefore addressing sperm health concerns at least 100 days before conception is vital.

• Zinc is one of the major constituents of sperm. 75% of men who experience prostate problems have a zinc deficiency.

• Folic acid is especially important during the 100 day run up to conception. Researchers have found that low levels of folic acid correlate with decreased sperm count and low sperm density.

• The same study indicates that a lack of folic acid is likely to show chromosome damage in the sperm which may contribute to an increased risk of childhood cancer.

• Sperm levels of chromosomal abnormalities can have a number of consequences ranging from failure to conceive, miscarriages or children born with birth defects and conditions such as Down’s syndrome.

• Essential fatty acid (Omega-3) – semen is rich in prostaglandins which are produced from these fats. Men with poor sperm quality, abnormal sperm, poor motility or low count, generally have inadequate levels of beneficial EFAs or prostaglandins.

• Selenium is an antioxidant that helps to protect your body, your sperm and the woman’s eggs from free radicals. Low selenium in the blood is associated with low sperm counts. By protecting against free radicals selenium can prevent chromosome breakage, which is known to be a cause of birth defects and miscarriages.

• B12 deficiency has been linked with anemia, low sperm count, and malformed sperm. B12 supplements are sometimes prescribed for men with fertility problems.

• Vitamin E, another powerful antioxidant, increases fertility for both men and women. It may make the sperm themselves more fertile. Vitamin E given to men who are going for IVF treatment with their partners causes a 10% rise in the couple’s overall fertility.

• Vitamin C enhances sperm quality, protecting sperm and the DNA within it from damage.

• Alcohol affects the male user’s sexual performance, causes problems with fertility, miscarriage, and the maturation of the fetus and newborn.

• Paternal Smoking has been shown to affect the sperm. The deformed sperm are more likely to cause miscarriage and problems for the fetus. Smoking half a pack or more a day has been shown to reduce sperm count by as much as twenty percent.

• A report by the Oxford Survey of Childhood Cancers concludes that about 14% of all childhood cancers in this review could be attributable to paternal smoking.

• A population-based, case-control study in Shanghai suggests that paternal smoking prior to conception may be associated with an increased risk for all childhood cancers combined and particularly for childhood ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia), lymphoma, and brain tumors. – Paternal Cigarette Smoking and the Risk of Childhood Cancer Among Offspring of Nonsmoking Mothers

• A study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, found that fathers who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day had an increased risk of having a baby with a Central Nervous System (CNS) tumor. Researchers say this finding was not restricted to smoking during the pregnancy, but that “results suggest paternal smoking during the year prior to birth, including the pre-conception period and pregnancy, may play a role in childhood CNS tumors.”

Essential Nutritional Supplementation for Dads

CellSentials – Core Minerals™ and Vita Antioxidant™ to build a strong foundation of health.

BiOmega™ ultra-pure fish oil supplement. Provides EPA and DHA (two omega-3 fatty acids).

Vitamin D for bone and joint health, hearth health and immune health. Every cell in the body has a vitamin d receptor.

REFERENCES

1. Effect of folate deficiency on promoter methylation and gene expression – This study aims to investigate the effect of folate deficiency on the male reproductive function and the underlying mechanism.

2. Genetic Abnormalities In Sperm Linked To Dietary Folate Intake

3. Low folate in male diet linked to risk of offspring birth defects

4. Paternal diet programs offspring health through sperm- and seminal plasma-specific pathways in mice

5. Low paternal dietary folate alters the mouse sperm epigenome and is associated with negative pregnancy outcomes.

6. Childhood cancer and parental use of tobacco

7. Paternal Cigarette Smoking and the Risk of Childhood Cancer Among Offspring of Nonsmoking Mothers

8. Paternal Smoking and Risk of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

9. Antioxidant supplements and semen parameters: An evidence based review

10. The remarkable legacy of a father’s diet on the health of his offspring – pnas.org

This post was first published in The Peaceful Birth Project website in 2014. Revised and updated June 2019.

For questions regarding Nutritional Supplementation, please contact George Fox below.