Processed meat intake is unfavorably and fish intake favorably associated with semen quality indicators among men attending a fertility clinic

Myriam C Afeiche; Audrey J Gaskins; Paige L Williams; Thomas L Toth; Diane L Wright; Cigdem Tanrikut; Russ Hauser; Jorge E Chavarro

doi:10.3945/jn.113.190173

Lifestyle and Environment · Nutrition and Metabolic Health

Processed meat intake is unfavorably and fish intake favorably associated with semen quality indicators among men attending a fertility clinic

Afeiche MC, Gaskins AJ, Williams PL, Toth TL, Wright DL, Tanrikut C, Hauser R, Chavarro JE

Published July 2014 The Journal of nutrition, 144(7), 1091-8

DOI 10.3945/jn.113.190173 PMID 24850626 PMC PMC4056648

RRM Academy Synopsis

Men at a fertility clinic who ate more fish had higher sperm counts

In 155 men at a Boston fertility clinic, men who ate the most fish had higher sperm counts and more normally shaped sperm. Men who ate the most processed meat had fewer normally shaped sperm. The cohort study linked one diet questionnaire to 338 semen samples collected over the next 18 months.

Key Findings

Men in the top quartile of processed meat intake had 1.7 percentage units fewer normal-shaped sperm than the bottom quartile (95% CI −3.3 to −0.04; P-trend = 0.02).
Adjusted mean total sperm count was 102 million (95% CI 80 to 131) in the lowest fish quartile and 168 million (95% CI 136 to 207) in the highest (P-trend = 0.005).
Normal-shaped sperm averaged 5.9% (95% CI 5.0 to 6.8) in the lowest fish quartile and 7.5% (95% CI 6.5 to 8.5) in the highest (P-trend = 0.01).
A model swapping 2 weekly servings of processed red meat for 2 of fish was associated with a 60% higher count of normal sperm overall (95% CI 17.9 to 117.4).
Total meat intake was unrelated to semen quality. Adjusting for long-chain omega-3 fat intake from food weakened the fish results (sperm count P-trend = 0.13).

Interpretation

This prospective cohort followed men at one Boston fertility clinic, 83% of them white and non-Hispanic. The study reports associations, so the results cannot show that fish raises or processed meat lowers sperm quality. Diet came from a single questionnaire, and unmeasured factors could play a role. The authors state that semen measures are weak predictors of conceiving, so the study cannot say whether the differences change the chance of pregnancy. Sperm count and shape values still fell within the normal range across the processed meat and fish quartiles. The weaker fish results after adjusting for omega-3 intake lead the authors to suggest that omega-3 fats may explain part of the link.

RRM Context

Restorative reproductive medicine evaluates both partners, and the man's semen quality is part of finding the cause. The authors note that few modifiable risk factors for low semen quality are known besides body weight and smoking. The cohort adds diet data from men already under evaluation and leaves fertility outcomes untested.

Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.

Abstract

Emerging literature suggests that men's diets may affect spermatogenesis as reflected in semen quality indicators, but literature on the relation between meat intake and semen quality is limited. Our objective was to prospectively examine the relation between meat intake and indicators of semen quality. Men in subfertile couples presenting for evaluation at the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center were invited to participate in an ongoing study of environmental factors and fertility. A total of 155 men completed a validated food-frequency questionnaire and subsequently provided 338 semen samples over an 18-mo period from 2007-2012. We used linear mixed regression models to examine the relation between meat intake and semen quality indicators (total sperm count, sperm concentration, progressive motility, morphology, and semen volume) while adjusting for potential confounders and accounting for within-person variability across repeat semen samples. Among the 155 men (median age: 36.1 y; 83% white, non-Hispanic), processed meat intake was inversely related to sperm morphology. Men in the highest quartile of processed meat intake had, on average, 1.7 percentage units (95% CI: -3.3, -0.04) fewer morphologically normal sperm than men in the lowest quartile of intake (P-trend = 0.02). Fish intake was related to higher sperm count and percentage of morphologically normal sperm. The adjusted mean total sperm count increased from 102 million (95% CI: 80, 131) in the lowest quartile to 168 million (95% CI: 136, 207) sperm in the highest quartile of fish intake (P-trend = 0.005). Similarly, the adjusted mean percentages of morphologically normal sperm for men in increasing quartiles of fish intake were 5.9 (95% CI: 5.0, 6.8), 5.3 (95% CI: 4.4, 6.3), 6.3 (95% CI: 5.2, 7.4), and 7.5 (95% CI: 6.5, 8.5) (P-trend = 0.01). Consuming fish may have a positive impact on sperm counts and morphology, particularly when consumed instead of processed red meats.

Topics

Lifestyle and Environment › Nutrition and Metabolic Health › Dietary Patterns · Male Fertility › Male Factor Causes › Lifestyle and Environment

Myriam C Afeiche, Audrey J Gaskins, Paige L Williams, Thomas L Toth, Diane L Wright, Cigdem Tanrikut, Russ Hauser, Jorge E Chavarro

M Afeiche, A Gaskins, P Williams, Tom Toth, T Toth, D Wright, C Tanrikut, R Hauser, J Chavarro

PMID 24850626 24850626 DOI 10.3945/jn.113.190173 10.3945/jn.113.190173 Afeiche et al. 2014, Afeiche 2014

Processed meat intake is unfavorably and fish intake favorably associated with semen quality indicators among men attending a fertility clinic

Men at a fertility clinic who ate more fish had higher sperm counts

Key Findings

Interpretation

RRM Context

Abstract

Topics

By this author

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