Nut consumption improves sperm count, motility and morphology: Study

The research has been published in the scientific journal Andrology.

This new study was conducted in 72 healthy, non-smoking, young participants from the FERTINUTS trial (nut group, n=48; control group, n=24) .The researchers observed that the methylation of 36 genomic regions was significantly different between baseline and the end of the trial only in the group that consumed nuts, and 97.2% of the regions displayed hypermethylation.

According to the researchers, these findings provide the first evidence that adding nuts to a regular Western-style diet impacts sperm DNA methylation in specific regions.

Albert Salas-Huetos (who is now working at Harvard University, USA), the first author of the article states, that "This work demonstrates that there are some sensitive regions of the sperm epigenome that respond to diet, and which can result in changes in sperm and in its ability to fertilize". Researchers also point out that the potential health benefits of the findings warrant further study to verify the results found in other populations.

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Reference: Salas-Huetos A, James ER, Salas-Salvadó; J, Bulló; M, Aston KI, Carrell D, and Jenkins TG. Sperm DNA methylation changes after short-term nut supplementation in healthy men consuming a Western-style diet. Andrology, 2020; In Press.

DOI: 10.1111/andr.12911