The Relationship between the Amount of Saturated Fat Intake and Semen Quality in Men

Hajar Dadkhah, Ashraf Kazemi, Mohammad Hossien Nasr Isfahani, Soheila Ehsanpour

Abstract


Introduction: Infertility in men is one of the current problems of human society. Some studies suggest that the metabolic status of a man, including cholesterol intake, closely correlates with sperm function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between saturated fat intake and semen quality among men referring to the Isfahan Fertility and Infertility Center, Iran.
Materials and Methods: This cross‑sectional study was conducted on all men who referred to the Isfahan Fertility and Infertility Center. The study population consisted of 120 men selected through simple random sampling. The data collection tool consisted of a two‑part questionnaire including a demographic and anthropometric characteristics form and the Food Frequency  Questionnaire (FFQ). The FFQ consists of 168 items that assess food and nutrient intake for 3 months. The reliability and validity of the instruments were confirmed in previous studies. Semen analysis was performed using computer‑aided semen analysis (CASA) method. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression test were used to analyze the data.

Results: Results showed that the chances of having semen volume of higher than 1.5 ml (normal volume) increased by 27.5% for every 1 g increase in total fat (CI: 1.11–1.46) (P = 0.001) and reduced 38% for every 1 g increase in saturated fat (CI: 0.42–0.90, P = 0.010). No association was found between semen quality and intake of dietary fats.

 Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study and the prevalence of infertility in recent decades, changes in diet and saturated fatty acids intake may improve semen quality.


Keywords


Diet; food frequency questionnaire; Iran; semen quality

Full Text:

PDF

References


Vahidi S, Ardalan A, Mohammad K. prevalence of primary infertility in the Islamic Republic of Iran in the years 2004‑2005. J Reprod Infertil 2006;3:243‑51.

Kazem A, Ali A. An overview of the epidemiology of primary infertility in Iran. J Reprod Infertil 2009;10:213‑16.

Attaman JA, Toth TL, Furtado J, Campos H, Hauser R, Chavarro JE. Dietary fat and semen quality among men attending a fertility clinic. Hum Reprod 2012;27:1466‑74.

Ghahremani F, Ghaem H. Factors affecting male infertility‑A case control study. J Gorgan Univ Med Sci 2006;2:42‑65.

Gaskins AJ, Colaci DS, Mendiola J, Swan SH, Chavarro JE. Dietary patterns and semen quality in young men. Hum Reprod 2012;27:2899‑907.

Jensen TK, Heitmann BL, Blomberg Jensen M, Halldorsson TI, Andersson AM, Skakkebæk NE, et al. High dietary intake of saturated fat is associated with reduced semen quality among 701 young Danish men from the general population. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;97:411‑8.

Diaz Fondetvilla M, Bustos‑Obregón E. Cholesterol and polyunsaturated acid enriched diet: Effects on Kinectics of the acrosome reaction in rabbit spermatozoa. Mol Reprod Dev 1993;35:176‑80.

Spira A, Multigner L. The effect of industrial and agricultural pollution on human spermatogenesis. Hum Reprod 1998;13:2041‑2.

Saez Lancellotti TE, Boarelli PV, Monclus MA, Cabrillana ME, Clementi MA, Espínola LS, et al. Hypercholesterolemia impaired sperm functionality in rabbits. PLOS One 2010;5:E13457.

Schisterman F, Mumford L, Chen Z, Browne W, Boyd Barr D, Kim S. Lipid concentration and semen quality: The Life study. Andrology 2014;2:408‑15.

Rezaeipour A, Yousefi F, Mahmoudi M. Relationship between Nutritional behavior and physical activity in adolescent girls with their understanding of the lifestyle of parents. Hayat 2007;3:17‑25.

Palmer NO1, Bakos HW, Owens JA, Setchell BP, Lane M. Diet and exercise in an obese mouse fed a high‑fat diet improve metabolic health and reverse perturbed sperm function. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2012;302:768‑80.

Hosseini‑Esfahani F, Asghari G, Mirmiran P, Jalali Farahani S, Azizi F. Reproducibility and Relative Validity of Food Group Intake in a Food Frequency Questionnaire Developed for the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. RJMS 2010;17:41‑55.

Chavarro JE, Mínguez‑Alarcón L, Mendiola J, Cutillas‑Tolín A, López‑Espín JJ, Torres‑Cantero AM. Trans fatty acid intakes inversely related to total sperm count in young healthy men. Hum Reprod 2014;29:429‑40.

Vujkovic M, de Vries JH, Dohle GR, Bonsel GJ, Lindemans J, Macklon NS, et al. Associations between dietary patterns and semen quality in men undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment. Human Reprod 2009;24:1304‑12.

Gaskins AJ, Colaci DS, Mendiola J, Swan SH, Chavarro JE. Dietary patterns and semen quality in young men. Hum Reprod 2012;27:2899‑907.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.