Omega-3 fatty acids can treat male infertility

A systematic review supports the claim that supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids may treat male infertility. The review, which was published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements, found that omega-3 fatty acids can significantly improve sperm motility and concentration of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in seminal plasma in infertile men.

• Researchers in Australia and Iran assessed the effect of DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on sperm parameters including total sperm concentration, sperm motility, sperm DHA, and seminal plasma DHA concentration in infertile men.
• To do this, they analyzed three studies on infertile men with DHA or EPA treatments, either alone or in combination with other micronutrients.
• The studies involved a total of 147 patients in the intervention group and 143 patients in the control group.
• The analysis revealed that omega-3 treatments significantly increased sperm motility and seminal DHA concentration.
• Compared with the controls, the DHA or EPA treatments did not affect sperm concentrations or sperm DHA.
• The observed heterogeneity may be because of the administration period and dosage of omega-3 fatty acids across the studies.

In conclusion, the findings of the systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that supplementing infertile men with omega-3 fatty acids may significantly improve sperm motility and seminal DHA concentration.

To read more studies on men’s reproductive health, visit MensHealth.news.

Journal Reference:

Hosseini B, Nourmohamadi M, Hajipour S, Taghizadeh M, Asemi Z, Keshavarz SA, Jafarnejad S. THE EFFECT OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS, EPA, AND/OR DHA ON MALE INFERTILITY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. Journal of Dietary Supplements. 2018. 1-2. DOI: 10.1080/19390211.2018.1431753