A new study has revealed that eating tree nuts such as almonds, hazelnut, and walnuts can trigger beneficial changes in the quality of sperm. Experts have claimed that diet is a lifestyle and environmental factor, which impacts the quality of sperm among men. They have analyzed the diet pattern of 72 non-smokers and healthy male participants in the study. The participants have reported that they have been following a western-style diet. Such a diet usually includes red meat and processed foods. Scientists have asked 48 of them to include at least 60 grams of nuts in their diet, which is around 2 ounces for at least 14 weeks. While the rest of the participants have continued to take their western-style diet.
For the first time, scientists have demonstrated the effects of specific foods on sperm quality in humans. Towards the end of the study, experts have found that for people who have included nuts in their diet, 36 genomic regions of sperm DNA have shown a biological process called methylation, which is essential for normal development. At the same time, for people who have been following a western-style diet without tree nuts, 97.2 percent of genomic regions of sperm DNA have displayed hypermethylation. The findings of the study have confirmed that adding nuts in the regular western diet affects the sperm DNA methylation in specific regions. The lead author of the study, Albert Salas Huetos has said that there are some sensitive regions of the sperm epigenome, which react to the diet we take, and it can lead to certain changes in sperm quality. It affects sperm’s ability to fertilize as well.
The new study has been done by the Human Nutrition Unit of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, the Pere Virgili Institute of Health and CIBERobn, and the University of Utah. It is an extension of a past study, which has been done in 2018. The 2018 research has clearly mentioned that men who have included nuts in their daily diet have been identified with improved sperm count, viability, motility, and morphology. The findings of the new research have been released in the journal called Andrology.
