Beer, weight, could affect male fertility 

What you need to know:

  • Glutathione (GSH) is one of the powerful and plentiful antioxidants in the body. It is synthesised from amino acids glutamic acid and cysteine. It combines with vitamin E and selenium to produce glutathione peroxide. 
  • Selenium is an important antioxidant that is necessary for the development of testicles, spermatogenesis as well as functioning and motility of sperms.

When it comes to conception, diet and lifestyle is significant, not only for women, but men as well. Diet and lifestyle choices can influence a man’s chances of fertility by affecting the quantity and quality of sperms. 

A healthy lifestyle entails eating healthy foods, exercising, maintaining a healthy weight as well as avoiding unhealthy behaviour such as smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol. 

Do I need boosters? 
What a man eats before and during conception is just as important as what a woman eats during these stages. Therefore, it is important that as a man who is anticipating conception takes seriously what he eats on a daily basis. 

Watching your eating habits at least three months before conception can help you in producing healthy sperms. An overall balanced diet is important but there are certain nutrients that need to be emphasised for optimal male fertility and consequently the outcome of the pregnancy.

One of the important nutrients is zinc. A deficiency in zinc can lead to reduced levels of testosterone hormone, which can decrease fertility. Deficiencies of zinc are very common in both women and men, mostly because zinc is destroyed during cooking and processing of foods. 

However, this can be enhanced by eating raw or partially cooked foods such as green peas, sesame seeds, and raw pumpkin seeds. 
Other sources of zinc are meat such as lamb, beef, chicken, pork, sea foods, wheat germ, beans and spinach. Zinc needs to be regularly replaced as it is approximated that a man loses about 5mg of zinc every time he ejaculates.

Vitamin B12, also known as cynocobalamin, is essential in increasing sperm count. The richest sources of this vitamin are animal and dairy products such as meat, fish, chicken, milk as well as yeast and fermented products. 
Weighty matters
Being overweight or obese can lead to hormonal changes that can significantly affect the fertility of a man. 

Obesity is linked to low sperm count, impaired semen quality and reduced quality of sperms, so engaging in moderate exercises can be very beneficial in improving your reproductive health. 
In addition to these, fertility in men who are obese can be affected by reduced libido and erectile dysfunction. 

Therefore if you are a man planning to become a father in the next few years, roll up your sleeves and embark on the journey to shed those extra calories. 
Keep your body weight in a healthy range which can be easily indicated by calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI). Try and aim for a BMI of between 20 and 25.

But I love my beer 
Alcohol not only affects women’s fertility, but men’s fertility as well. The effects of alcohol are felt from the first sip and some can disappear overnight while others can stick with you for longer or even become permanent. 

Though drinking alcohol in moderation is not harmful, excessive consumption can cause negative effects, one of them being infertility. 

However, the good news is that the effects of alcohol can be quickly reversed. The recommended alcohol intake, which is unlikely to cause serious health effects is two beers a day for men.

Consumption of alcohol in excess lowers the levels of testosterone, which can lead to low quality and quantity of sperms as well as loss of libido. 

In addition to affecting hormone levels, alcohol has direct toxic effects on the testes. This can damage the production of sperms, prevent them from developing properly and thus decrease their ability to travel towards the female egg. 

Effects of antioxidants 
Studies have shown that many infertility cases in men are as a result of oxidation as most men who have infertility problems have low levels of antioxidant in their semen as compared to their fertile colleagues. 

Antioxidants are types of molecules that help inhibit or minimise the oxidation of other molecules, and thus prevent the build-up of destructive free radicals. 

They are classified into two forms, depending on their solubility. Those soluble in lipids are referred to as hydrophobic antioxidants and those soluble in water are referred to as hydrophilic antioxidants. 

Oxidation is the process by which a molecule combines with oxygen, leading to formation of free radicals — unstable molecules that can cause problems. 

They are “free” because they lack an important molecule, which makes them go wild looking for another molecule to pair with and in the process, they can attack any molecule to satisfy that need. 
When free radicals attack, they injure the cell and damage the DNA. Once the DNA of a cell changes, it becomes mutated. This makes the cell grow and reproduce abnormally (the beginnings of cancer). 

Toxins such as air pollution, cigarette smoke and excess alcohol can trigger the presence of free radicals. In addition, the water and food we consume may also contain free radicals brought about due to the use of pesticides or other forms of toxins.
 
Thus the effects of free radicals are kept under control by antioxidants that are either ingested through food or produced by the body naturally.
For antioxidants to neutralise free radicals, they first have to be oxidised themselves. Therefore, they need to be constantly refilled through good nutrition so as to retain an optimal balance. 

Common foods rich in anti-oxidants include whole grains such as natural breakfast cereals, garlic, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, legumes, red grapes, berries and nuts. 
Although fresh foods are the ideal source of antioxidants, they are also available in form of different supplements that can be very beneficial.

Takeaway
Several antioxidants contain compounds that may help reduce seminal oxidation. Examples of these antioxidants include glutathione, vitamins C and E, cartinine, selenium and carotenoids.
Carotenoids are organic pigments present in plants and contain antioxidant properties that help promote male fertility by boosting the concentration of sperms.

Glutathione (GSH) is one of the powerful and plentiful antioxidants in the body. It is synthesised from amino acids glutamic acid and cysteine. It combines with vitamin E and selenium to produce glutathione peroxide. 
Selenium is an important antioxidant that is necessary for the development of testicles, spermatogenesis as well as functioning and motility of sperms.

Vitamin C, which is also known as ascorbic acid, is a strong hydrophilic antioxidant. Vitamin C supplementation together with vitamin E (hydrophobic antioxidant) can help reduce oxidation of sperms. 


Torooti Mwirigi