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. 2023 Feb 14;13(2):519. doi: 10.3390/life13020519

Table 1.

The main effects of some dietary nutrients in treating male infertility.

Dietary Nutrients Doses Main Effects References
Omega-3 fatty acids (ω3FAs) ω3FAs (0.5–2 g/day)

  • High ω3FAs significantly improved the testosterone levels in men.

  • Sperm kinetics and semen quality were improved in men as response to ω3FAs dietary inclusion.

 [14,15,16]
DHA (0.5–2 g/day) for 4–12 weeks.

  • DHA addition presented a considerable enhancement in sperm motility and minor perfections in oxidative stress indices in infertile men (asthenozoospermia men).

  • High level of TFA intake signficantly improved sperm quality and fertilization outcomes.

 [11,17,18]
EPA and DHA (1.84 g/day)

  • EPA and DHA (1.84 g/day) administered for 4 months boosted the defensive system of seminal fluid in a placebo study.

  • Low levels of ω3FAs in the dietary intake were associated with the occurrence of male infertility through a reduction of sperm quality and health.

 [19,20]
ω3FAs (300 mg/day) and vitamin E (100 mg)

  • Intake of ω3FAs and vit. E showed a statistically significant improvement in sperm motility and morphology.
Vitamins Vit. C

  • Low levels of vit. C is related to higher ROS in the seminal fluid of men with asthenozoospermia.

  • Deiatry vit. B12 (1.5–6 mg/day) had significant effects on sperm function and health via augmenting sperm motility and sperm account, and diminishing sperm DNA injury.

  • Infertile men (330 individuals) received Vit D (300,000 IU), and Ca (0.5 g/day) for 5 months and had higher sperm fucntion and the number of spontaneous pregnancies in relation to another untreated group.

  • Vit. D administration in sub-fertile men positively affects semen function and quality by enhancing sperm motility, sperm function, as well as improving the in vitro fertility competence.

  • The deficiency of vit. D and vitamin D receptor (VitDR) gene methylation may be complicated, with indicated male infertility disorder.

 [21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28]
Vit. B12
Vit. D
Astaxanthin Astaxanthin (720 mg/kg body weight)

  • Pretreatment of astaxanthin (720 mg/kg body weight) might decrease male infertility by avoiding OS-triggered fertility complaints.

 [29]
Trace elements

  • A positive association between the lower Zn amounts in the seminal plasma of infertile males and fertility outcomes in relation to normal males was detected.

  • A statistically substantial converse association between Fe consumption from diet and sperm quality health was distinguished.

 [30,31]
Mitochondria enhancers CoQ10 (100–120 mg/day)

  • A remarkable relationship between higher levels of CoQ10 detected in seminal plasma and sperm health and quality variables was observed.

  • Supplementation of CoQ10 (120 mg/day) for 3–6 months in infertile patients produced a substantial enhancement in sperm attributes.

  • Dietary therapy of CoQ10 (100 mg/day) in infertile patients for 3 months enhanced the antioxidant status and sperm attributes.

  • CoQ10 can effectively enhance mitochondria function via boosting the ATP production and decreasing the production of OS in sperm.

 [8,32,33,34,35,36,37]
L-Carnitine (LCN)And Quercetin (QUR)

  • Oral LCN administration reduced the number of anti-apoptotic sperm, and sperm DNA damages, as well as enhanced the sperm function and quality.

  • Management with LCN (169 mg/day) and meloxicam (12 doses of 0.6 mg/kg) for 3 months considerably reinstated the quantity of testicular leydig cells in elder men.

  • QUR (100 μM, 2 h incubation) was likewise shown to significantly enhance the sperm function of infertile men, where sperm are naturally more disposed to agonize from high levels of oxidative stress.

  • QUR addition produced significant reduction in sperm mitochondrial DNA impairment, along with an escalation in the cytochrome C and NADH amounts in the semen samples of infertile men.

  • Adding of QUR (50 μM) to the freezing extender significantly increases post-thaw human sperm attributes, precisely sperm viability, DNA integrity, motility, and mitochondria function in relation to normal cases.

  • Upregulation of GPx1, CAT, and SOD1 mRNA expression in sperm as response to QUR administration was observed.

  • QUR (0.1–1000 nM) prompted the energetic state of mitochondrial respiration, resulting in the uncoupling between electron transport and ATP formation.

 [5,38,39,40,41,42,43]