Antioxidants improve sperm performance

Antioxidant supplements may benefit couples who have difficulty conceiving says an article published in The Cochrane Library. The review provides an interesting perspective that the women partnered with men who take the antioxidants may become more likely to get pregnant naturally.

Male subfertility is hard to diagnose but is assumed to affect around one in 20 men. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) chemicals cause cellular damage, particularly to sperm cells, and thus lower the sperm count. Fewer sperm equals fewer pregnancies. Antioxidants will help reduce the damage caused by ROS. Antioxidants tested include vitamin E, L-carnitine, zinc and magnesium as well as combinations of those.

“When trying to conceive as part of an assisted reproductive program, it may be advisable to encourage men to take oral antioxidant supplements to improve their partners’ chances of becoming pregnant,” said lead researcher Marian Showell, obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “However, these conclusions are based on limited evidence.”

It was a small test group – 2,876 couples – so there isn’t enough data to support which type of antioxidant works best. “We need more head-to-comparisons to understand whether any one antioxidant is performing better than any other,” concluded Showell.

Source: Wiley-Blackwell, ScienceDaily