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May 22, 2013
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They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman
May 20, 2013
Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?
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Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas
Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate
Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility
May 6, 2013
May 3, 2013
Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine
April 29, 2013
Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust
Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?
Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA
April 26, 2013
Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty
April 24, 2013
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Jewish World Review
Nutrition and fertility
By
Harvard Men's Health Watch
Has everything else failed? Check your diet
JewishWorldReview.com |
It's an oversimplification, but it has more than a germ of truth. In fact, a man's diet has a substantial effect on his risk of many important diseases including heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, various malignancies, and of course, obesity. But does a man's diet also influence his fertility? According to research from Spain, the answer may be yes.
To evaluate the effect of diet on fertility, scientists studied the male partners of couples who attended fertility clinics. Men with known genetic, anatomical, or hormonal abnormalities that affect fertility were excluded from the study. Each volunteer submitted at least two semen specimens for analysis, and each provided information on his consumption of 96 food items during the preceding year. Researchers also measured levels of reproductive hormones and collected information about other factors that might affect sperm quality, including smoking, body weight, alcohol use, and exposure to pollutants.
The scientists applied criteria from the World Health Organization to divide their patients into two groups: one group of 30 men had poor semen quality, while the other group of 31 had better semen quality. The two groups did not differ in terms of smoking, drinking, obesity, environmental exposure, or hormone levels but they did differ in their diets.
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The men with poor semen quality consumed more meat products, potatoes, and yogurt than the men with better sperm. In contrast, a high intake of skim milk, shellfish, vegetables, fruits, and sweets was associated with better sperm.
What accounts for the apparent link between diet and semen quality? The study evaluated foods rather than individual nutrients, but it seems likely that the men with better sperm had a higher intake of carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins (including antioxidants) but a lower intake of protein and fat. Meat and whole-milk dairy products are of particular interest. Because chemicals like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), organic pesticides, and sex hormones are fat-soluble, they may be incorporated into high-fat foods such as meat and whole-milk dairy products. Although the Spanish study did not evaluate these chemicals directly, previous research has linked them to subfertility. One study found that high beef consumption during a woman's pregnancy may have an adverse effect on her son's testicular development during fetal life.
A man's diet has a big impact on his health. If the Spanish research is confirmed, the effects of nutrition may also extend to the next generation.
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