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An estimated 10% to 15% of couples experience infertility, and often it is viewed as the woman’s problem. However, statistics show that problems with male fertility may be involved in around one-third of infertility cases.

What does food have to do with it?

Sperm quality and motility can have multiple causes and may be influenced by a variety of factors such as genetics, general health, weight status, fitness, psychological conditions, poor diet, smoking, stress, and metabolic conditions involving hormones.

In addition, adequate nutrition is of vital importance, and some foods and nutrients are associated with greater fertility benefits than others.

Waistline is of importance

Conceiving is more difficult if you’re overweight. In fact, it’s believed that weight issues cause up to 12% of infertility. Overweight men are more likely to have a lower sperm count and produce poorer quality sperm.

Excess weight appears to alter hormone levels by lowering testosterone and increasing oestrogen levels which negatively impact sperm. Men with a BMI greater than 35 kg/m ² or a waist circumference higher than 102cm are more likely to have a lower sperm count and higher numbers of sperm with DNA damage, compared to normal-weight men.

When trying to have a baby, men should strive to reach a healthy body weight through dietary modifications and physical activity. The good news is that a small amount of weight loss can have a significant impact. Even a 5–10% weight loss (e.g. a 110kg male losing 5–10kg) can improve the odds of conception.

Nutrients and lifestyle choices that can influence fertility

A healthy, balanced diet including a wide variety of foods will ensure you get a wide variety of nutrients needed for male fertility. Certain nutrients are of special interest:

Fats

The type of fat consumed impacts both on the quality and quantity of sperm. According to a study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2012, a diet higher in saturated fats (found in fatty meats, high fat dairy, processed foods, and tropical oils such as coconut oil) was related to lower sperm count. However, a diet higher in omega-3 fatty acids was related to a more favourable sperm structure.

Our reproductive system requires a variety of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to function optimally. Fruits and vegetables contain phytonutrients that act as antioxidants, which protect sperm from oxidative stress that can cause sperm damage, deformity and possibly infertility. They are important because they are rich in antioxidants, which inhibit the free radicals that can damage sperm DNA. 

Zinc

The mineral zinc plays a vital role in fertility since it is associated with sperm count and quality. This mineral is involved in the creation of the outer membrane and tail of sperm. Men should aim to meet their recommended intake through diet before taking a supplement. The daily requirement a day is 11mg and can be achieved by including foods high in zinc in the diet. Examples are oysters, nuts and seeds, beef, shrimp, lentils and wholegrain cereals.

Alcohol

Excess alcohol can affect sperm quality. Men should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week (one unit is equivalent to a 30ml measure of spirits, a standard glass [150 ml] of wine and 340ml beer). Alcohol can be found in semen shortly after drinking, and can therefore directly interfere with conception and insemination.

Smoking

In men, smoking causes lower sperm count and motility plus abnormalities in sperm shape and function. Smoking also causes oxidative damage to sperm, which could be responsible for birth defects and other diseases.

Top Tips

•  Eat three nutrient-rich meals daily with optional snacks to meet your calorie requirements, should you be underweight.
•  Eat foods from all food groups, including fruits and vegetables, whole grain carbohydrates such as corn, rolled oats, seed/health breads, quinoa, unrefined maize, wild brown rice and bulgur wheat and healthy fats such as vegetable oils low-fat dairy, plant (beans, nuts, soy) and lean animal protein.
•  Choose mostly whole and unprocessed foods, for example fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.
•  Eat more plant protein and less animal protein. Replace one serving of meat daily with a plant protein source, e.g. by replacing the famous steak for dinner with a cottage pie made with lentils. 
•  Choose carbohydrates that are high in fibre and slowly digested to help control blood sugar and insulin levels.
•  Drink more water and skip sugary foods and beverages.
•  Fruits and vegetables are great sources of vitamin C, carotenoids, and other phytochemicals, which may enhance fertility.
•  Incorporate fatty fish rich in omega 3s, such as salmon, pilchards, mackerel and sardines in your diet a few times a week.  
•  Include foods high in zinc by for example snacking on nuts and seeds, and swap the mutton curry for a bean curry for dinner.

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Nutritional Solutions

Women whose final stages of pregnancy occur during the short, dark days of winter may be at increased risk for postpartum depression, a new study suggests.

It has to do with reduced exposure to sunlight – the same culprit that contributes to seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. That’s a type of depression that usually starts in fall and winter and disappears in spring and summer.

The study authors said their findings should prompt doctors to encourage pregnant women who are at high risk for postpartum depression to increase their exposure to daylight and boost their levels of vitamin D.

The study was led by Deepika Goyal, a professor of nursing at San Jose State University. She and her team reviewed data on nearly 300 first-time mothers who took part in randomised controlled sleep trials before and after pregnancy.

Importance of vitamin D

The researchers looked at the amount of daylight during the women’s last trimester of pregnancy and other risk factors for postpartum depression, such as medical history, age, socioeconomic status and sleep quality.

Overall, participants had a 30% risk for depression. Their odds were strongly influenced by the number of daylight hours during the last month of pregnancy and immediately after delivery.

Women who were in the late stages of pregnancy during winter had a 35% risk – the highest scores – for postpartum depression. And their symptoms were more severe, the study found.

Women whose third trimester coincided with longer hours of daylight had a 26% risk for depression, the study showed.

“Among first-time mothers, the length of day in the third trimester, specifically day lengths that are shortening compared to day lengths that are short, long or lengthening, were associated with concurrent depressive symptom severity,” Goyal said.

The study was published recently in a special issue of the Journal of Behavioral Medicine focused on postpartum health.

Researchers said that women in their third trimester may benefit from exposure to artificial light during months with the shortest days. This treatment, which could reduce their depression risk, should continue for three months after delivery.

Outdoor activity

Pregnant women with a history of mental health issues and those who have signs of depression should spend more time outdoors during the final months of pregnancy or use therapeutic devices such as light boxes to increase their exposure to light, the researchers said.

“Women should be encouraged to get frequent exposure to daylight throughout their pregnancies to enhance their vitamin D levels and to suppress the hormone melatonin,” Goyal said in a journal news release.

Doctors should urge pregnant women to get more outdoor physical activity if the weather permits and it’s safe for them to do so, the researchers added.

“Daily walks during daylight hours may be more effective in improving mood than walking inside a shopping mall or using a treadmill in a gym,” Goyal said. “Likewise, early morning or late evening walks may be relaxing but would be less effective in increasing vitamin D exposure or suppressing melatonin.”

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The debut of Nike’s plus-size mannequin at the brand’s London flagship store last week was a huge win for many women who’ve been advocating for inclusivity in the health and wellness space. But not for writer and self-described recovering addict Tanya Gold. Gold recently wrote an article in The Telegraph claiming “the war on obesity is lost” thanks to a mannequin that “heaves with fat.” Cue the justifiably indignant rage.

Here’s a look at some of the reactions Gold’s piece has received on Instagram so far:

RELATED: This Brand Is Being Slammed For Their Horrific Plus Size Clothing Ads Using Thin Models

Gold’s stance that Nike is peddling “lies” that damage women just as much as “the child ballet dancer” walking down the runway is hyperbolic and misguided to say the least. The very point of the Health at Every Size movement is to raise awareness of our biases, as medical providers, as journalists, as people. Scientific research supports the notion that our implicit biases do nothing to help curb obesity rates or affect positive change in any way. Also, let’s be real for a minute—no one can truly diagnose someone’s health simply by looking at their body. There’s a whole hell of a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to whether a person is healthy or not. And, quite frankly, I believe the word “healthy” has been hijacked and weaponized to shame others, especially women, for not fitting a standard of beauty.

In a recent op-ed for The New York Times titled “Smash the Wellness Industry,” Jessica Knoll wrote:

“The wellness industry is the diet industry, and the diet industry is a function of the patriarchal beauty standard under which women either punish themselves to become smaller or are punished for failing to comply, and the stress of this hurts our health too. I am a thin white woman, and the shame and derision I have experienced for failing to be even thinner is nothing compared with what women in less compliant bodies bear.”

Can I get an amen?! I am a thin-ish white woman. I was a fat child. I’m still on the I-hate-my-body ride. And I’m mad as hell about it.

Gold writes: “I would never want a woman to hate herself for what she finds in the looking-glass. But to have control over your body you must first know it; to be oblivious is not to be happy, unless you are a child.”

This is the kind of messaging many of us have battled our entire lives: just control your body. Those of us who’ve struggled with our self-image can attest to the fact that no fat person has the luxury of oblivion, not even a child.

I’ll never forget my brother’s words after one of the many times I lost weight: “You finally look like a woman.” He was always stunned to learn I vacillated between a size 10 and 12. (The double-digit horror!) I was in high school and it was Easter, so I was dressed up. This had probably been after my fourth diet at that point in time. The earliest, clearest messaging I ever received from other kids—and the men in my life—was that you are not the feminine ideal and you should be ashamed. Control your body. The words and the physical blows that are directed toward females of all ages, of all ethnicities are a direct result of this insidious mindset. Your body is unruly, fix it.

RELATED: How This Woman Gained 22 Pounds but Stayed the Exact Same Clothing Size

Being a health editor is nothing I ever aspired to be. I always joke that I wanted to be a music journalist, but women’s magazines were where I found jobs. But really I never saw myself as a health editor because I was never allowed to view myself as someone who could serve as a paradigm of fitness and beauty (because “health” is synonymous with these things?). My earliest memories involve being physically beaten and verbally abused because of my size. I was never obese, but I was never thin either. And in a world where Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss were the feminine ideal, why wouldn’t I be attacked by other kids and adults alike for not conforming to expectations?

  Me (left) in kindergarten and me in high school. Both were times of disordered eating; can you tell my health in each photo?

The double standard still drives me mad and fuels my belief that women’s health is a feminist issue. My brothers were allowed to eat junk food and even be “husky,” but as a girl, I was not afforded the same luxury. In my lifelong quest to control my body, I’ve been all kinds of weight. I’ve worn four different clothing sizes. I’ve had all kinds of body dysmorphia issues. I’ve had all kinds of disordered eating. And I’m still not off the train.

What I can say is that representation is everything. At Health.com, our stance is on par with Nike’s—come as you are. Nike’s plus-size mannequin represents all the females out there who love ourselves enough to put on some workout clothes and get moving, unshackled from a desire to control and conform. We are moving in the direction of body acceptance because that’s the starting line to a healthy journey.

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