Packaging of walnuts a day will protect from a campaign to reproductologist
Last reviewed: 01.05.2024
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According to an article published on August 15 in the Biology of Reproduction's Papers-in-Press, eating 75 grams of walnuts a day improves the viability, motility and morphology of spermatozoa in healthy men between the ages of 21 and 35 years.
Approximately 70 million couples worldwide suffer from a lack of reproductive function or infertility, in 30-50% of such cases, the fault lies with the man. Some studies have shown that in the industrialized countries the quality of the human semen has deteriorated and the cause may be environmental pollution, bad habits and the Western diet.
Dr. Wendy Robbins and her colleagues at the University of California in Los Angeles decided to investigate whether the quality of the seed will improve in men who follow the Western diet if they increase the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids that are responsible for the maturation of the seed.
If you follow a western diet, it is important to know that the greatest amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids are in fish, food additives with fish oil, flaxseed and walnuts, the latter of which are rich in linolenic acid, a natural source of omega-3.
The team of Dr. Robbins, with the support of the California Walnut Commission, selected 117 healthy men aged 21 to 35 who followed the Western diet, and divided them into two groups: those that would not use hazelnuts (58 men) and those that would take food 75 grams of walnuts a day (59 men). Previous studies have shown that 75 grams of walnuts is the dose at which the level of lipids in the blood will change, but at which healthy young people will not gain weight.
Prior to the start of the experiment and 12 weeks later, the quality of the male seed was examined according to the generally accepted parameters of male fertility, including concentration, viability, motility, sperm morphology and chromosomal abnormalities.
After 12 weeks, the team found no significant changes in the body mass index or activity level of both groups. However, in men who consumed walnuts, the levels of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids increased significantly and the viability, mobility and morphology of spermatozoa improved. Also, men who consumed walnuts had fewer chromosomal abnormalities. On the other hand, there were no changes in the second control group.
Despite the fact that according to the study, eating 75 grams of walnuts a day can positively influence the quality of the young man's seed, it is still not known whether this achievement will be used to solve the problem of fertility in young people and whether this will help increase fertility.