Heart health supplements could be the answer to improved sperm quality

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High Street supplements which are marketed for heart health and energy may combat infertility. A study found a selection of nutritional capsules taken by thousands every day boost the number, size and speed of a man’s sperm.

Although unclear whether this leads to pregnancy, an expert said ‘it is a logical assumption that if sperm quality is improved that more babies will follow’.

The research was carried out by the University of Aberdeen and led by Dr Muhammad Imran Omar, a research fellow at the academic urology unit.

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Around one in eight couples do not conceive within a year of trying and are forced to seek medical help, the authors wrote in the journal European Urology.

The cause of infertility is often unclear, however, it is thought to be related to the man around half of the time. To determine whether medicines or supplements boost male fertility, the researchers analysed 61 relevant studies. They were looking for improvements across three ‘semen parameters’.

The first was sperm concentration – the amount of sperm released when a man ejaculates. Secondly, they looked at the number of sperm that were the ‘ideal’ shape, with an oval head and long tail.And finally they investigated motility – the ability of sperm to move through a woman’s reproductive tract to reach an egg.

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Results revealed the High Street supplement coenzyme Q10 – which is thought to boost heart health – improved sperm number, shape and speed in three of the four relevant studies.

Despite this, the researchers called the quality of evidence ‘low’.

Six studies looked at L-carnitine, which improves energy.

This supplement was found to improve sperm count and movement but not shape.

The researchers therefore deemed its ‘benefits’ to be ‘uncertain’.

As well as supplements, the researchers also investigated the effect of certain medicines on sperm quality.

Pentoxyfylline – which is prescribed for blood circulation disorders and leg ulcers – improved sperm count, shape and speed, but the researchers still called its effects ‘uncertain’.

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They were also unsure about the naturally-occurring follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which can be given as an injection to stimulate the growth of eggs in women and sperm in men.

This is despite five studies linking FSH to improved pregnancy rates, as well as better sperm number and shape, but not movement.

Even the breast-cancer drug tamoxifen – which blocks oestrogen from fueling a tumour’s growth – was found to have a positive effect on a man’s swimmers.

The tablet – which is also prescribed to improve sperm quality – was not linked to improved pregnancy rates. The researchers called its studies ‘low’ or ‘very low’ quality.

And finally kallikrein, which improves blood flow, was linked to improved sperm number and movement.

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