Don’t let your fertility go up in smoke!

Gentlemen, if you don’t want to jeopardize your chances of fatherhood, you should be watching what you eat and giving up smoking. Smoking, and a lack of vitamin B9, can damage the quality of sperm, jeopardising your fertility, while a diet rich in lycopene could improve it.

The American cowboy, cigarette in mouth, was for many years the embodiment of masculinity on our TVs, billboards and cinema screens.  However, today it is apparent and widely accepted that there are many problems caused by smoking, including sexual dysfunction and decreased sperm quality.

Tobacco on trial for male infertility

Smoking has been scientifically linked to the onset of erectile problems.  Cholesterol, hypertension, and various other factors, are known to damage the arteries, causing erectile dysfunction. And so too can smoking but its effect is even more harmful, adversely affecting the quality of the sperm. In January 2000, a study¹ carried out by the University of Singapore to determine the factors associated with male infertility, revealed the detrimental effect of smoking. 

This finding was confirmed by a Chinese study² carried out in June 2001 on 300 patients who had attended a clinic treating fertility problems; the study concluded that smoking affected the volume and acidity of sperm as well as sperm count, viability and motility.

It may thus be worth your while to stop smoking immediately unless you plan on having sex become a distant memory and perhaps even worse for younger men, your desire to have children become a source of deep of regret.

Vitamin B9 for improved sperm count

A deficiency of folic acid (also called folate or vitamin B 9) during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of congenital defects³ (in particular, spina bifada, a defect of the nervous system.)

Although the effect of this deficiency on men is largely unknown, Canadian researchers⁴ explored the consequences for fertility.  They analysed the levels of folic acid in the blood and sperm of 48 men (half of whom were smokers) and assessed the quality of their sperm.

The results demonstrated that folate deficiency in men leads to a lower sperm count and numerous chromosomal abnormalities that could cause birth defects or cancer.  These chromosomal abnormalities were more significant in smokers.

Getting vitamin B9 and folic acid

Folic acid is involved in the metabolism of amino acids, which link together to form proteins.  Folic acid deficiency in men can cause anaemia and may sometimes lead to anorexia or depression.  In pregnant women it can lead to malformations of the foetus’ nervous system.

The recommended daily intake of folic acid is roughly 300 micrograms for adolescents and adults and 400 micrograms for pregnant women.

Vitamin B9 occurs naturally in green vegetables, fermented cheese and eggs.  To avoid folate deficiency, it’s important to enjoy a varied diet.  To find out more about which foods contain folate, consult our table:

Folate levels in various foods (mg per 100g)
Very high 200+	High 100 to 200	Medium 50 to 100	Low 25 to 50	Poor -20
Yeast	Green salad	Green vegetables	Fruit	Bread
Liver	Sweetcorn	Melon	Offal	Starchy foods
	Chestnuts	Chickpeas		Meat
	Walnuts	Eggs
	Avocado	Fermented cheese
	Almonds

Fertility up in smoke! - (next) ►

David Bême

Copyright © 2009 Doctissimo

Posted 08.03.2011

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