Study: Nuts increase fertility in men

You can really be crazy about nuts: they are (in moderate amounts) a high-end fitness food, reduce the risk of various diseases and contain many important nutrients. In addition, legumes are good at losing weight – contrary to their reputation as a big bomb.

As if all this were not enough, the super-shells seemed to want to put a lot of mouths: In a new study, researchers at the European Society of Reproduction and Embryology that nuts can also help improve male fertility.

Nut eaters have better sperm

For the investigation, the researchers divided 119 Spanish men aged 18 and 35 into two groups. Some of them have had a walnut blend of 60 grams a day – that's two good handles. This consisted of almonds, hazelnuts and nuts. Otherwise, men in this group did not change their diet – they just ate what they would normally have eaten.

The second group of men had to do without the extra nut. Instead of eating something nutritious every day, they feed completely as usual.

After 14 weeks, all 119 men were examined by a doctor – with a surprising result: Among walnut eaters, the researchers noted a considerable improvement in fertility: the number, vitality, motility and Sperm morphology had progressed increased in the study.

In addition, fragmentation of sperm DNA had also been reduced. This is a unit of measurement that tells you how much sperm is damaged.

Solution to Fertility Problems

The researchers themselves were satisfied with the results of the study at a meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology in Barcelona. These "would prove a useful role of chronic consumption of nuts for sperm quality," she says.

However, scientists repeatedly pointed out that all male participants were fertile and healthy. That men with fertility problems in any way benefit from the positive effects of nut consumption has not been studied in the study and therefore can not be determined.

Healthy Eating – Higher Fertility

The results of the study, according to the authors, are in line with previous research showing that sperm can be improved by a particular diet.

For those who eat a lot of omega-3s and antioxidants (eg, vitamin C and E, selenium, zinc and folacin) has, according to previous knowledge, better sperm than men who lack these substances. Who would have thought: in the nuts it's all inclusive!

Reading tip: Varieties of nuts in the test – what kind of nuts are you?

"Literature shows that altering a healthy lifestyle, such as a healthy diet, could help with conception – and of course, nuts are a key part of a healthy diet. Mediterranean. " Author Albert Salas-Huetos

Nuts are not a miracle cure for infertility – but we now know that sperm quality improves with regular consumption. However, due to the fact that the usefulness of sperm in Germany and in the rest of the western world has dropped dramatically or dramatically for many years, the importance of the study should not be under estimated.

Anyone who adds two handfuls of nuts to their diet each day can do nothing wrong. Well, happy nibbling!

Judith Kerstgens