TABLE 3.

Mediterranean dietary products beneficial for fertility in women and men

Mediterranean dietary products	Active substances	Benefits for women and men	References
Fresh fish	Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), omega‐3 Fat‐soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K	Women: lower the risk of obesity Men: sources of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the diet and associated with improvement in the quality of semen	Afeiche et al. (2014)
Eggs	Folate and B6	Women: increase both progesterone and estrogen levels, which regulate menstrual cycles and ovulation Men: support both the semen quality and semen count. They can also increase their levels of testosterone, which boosts libido	Salas‐Huetos, James et al. (2019)
Vegetables and fruit	Antioxidants, folic acid, fiber, minerals	Women and men: vegetables and fruits provide the basis for prohealthy nutrition models, which are associated with the improvement of semen quality and fertility	Ricci et al. (2018)
Nuts, seeds	Essential fatty acids (EFAs), fiber, tocopherols, phytosterols, polyphenols, minerals	Women: rich source of protein, minerals, and fatty acids which help to improve ovulation Men: it is important to choose nuts and unroasted and unsalted seeds. The use of nuts in the diet may have a beneficial effect on the quality of sperm	Salas‐Huetos et al. (2018)
Whole‐grain products	Fiber, zinc, magnesium	Women: increase the thickness of endometrial lining, which supports the implantation of an embryo Men: improve semen quality	Salas‐Huetos et al. (2017)
Lean dairy	Calcium, a wholesome protein	Women and men: dairy contains protein and other nutrients known to support fertility like zinc, choline, selenium, vitamin A, and vitamin D. Vitamin A is essential for reproduction in both.	Salas‐Huetos, James, et al. (2019)
Olive oil, rapeseed oil	PUFA, alpha‐linolenic acid, vitamin E, polyphenols	Women: improve the structure of reproductive cells Men: increase the level of testosterone and enhance fertility	Giahi et al. (2016)