Eating nuts causes changes in sperm DNA function

Adding nuts to a Western-style diet has an effect on its epigenetics; this research shows, for the first time, that there are regions of the semen epigenome that respond to diet, which would explain why diet can modulate male fertility.

Many environmental and lifestyle factors have been implicated in the decline in sperm quality, with diet being one of the most plausible factors identified in recent years. Additionally, several studies have reported a strong association between the alteration of specific sperm DNA methylation signatures and sperm quality. To date, however, no randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have been published to assess the effects of diet on these changes in sperm DNA function.

Researchers from the Human Nutrition Unit of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, the Pere Virgili Institute of Health and CIBERobn (led by Dr Jordi Salas-Salvadó), and researchers from the University of Utah (led by Dr Douglas T. Carrell) evaluated for the first time the effect of short / medium term consumption of a mixture of nuts (almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts) on DNA methylation patterns semen in healthy individuals claiming to have a Western-style diet. The analysis was performed as part of the FERTINUTS trial, an RCT led by Dr Mónica Bulló; and Dr Albert Salas-Huetos, whose results were published in 2018. Research found that including a nut mix for 14 weeks significantly improved sperm count, viability, motility, and morphology.

This new study was conducted among 72 young, healthy, non-smoking participants of the FERTINUTS trial (nut group, n = 48; control group, n = 24) and was recently published in the scientific journal Andrology. The researchers observed that the methylation of 36 genomic regions was significantly different between baseline and the end of the trial only in the group that ate nuts, and 97.2% of the regions exhibited hypermethylation.

According to the researchers, these results provide the first evidence that adding nuts to a regular Western diet has an impact on the methylation of sperm DNA in specific regions.

Albert Salas-Huetos (now working at Harvard University, USA), the first author of the article states that “this work demonstrates that there are sensitive regions of the sperm epigenome that respond to the diet. food, and which can lead to changes in the sperm and its ability to fertilize ”. The researchers also point out that the potential health benefits of the findings warrant further study to verify the findings found in other populations.

Reference: “Changes in Sperm DNA Methylation Following Short-Term Nut Supplementation in Healthy Men Consuming Western-Style Diet” by Albert Salas-Huetos, Emma R. James, Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Mònica Bulló, Kenneth I. Aston, Douglas T. Carrell and Timothy G. Jenkins, September 23, 2020, Andrology.
DOI: 10.1111 / andr.12911