Abstract
PurposePoor sperm quality is a major contributor to infertility in heterosexual couples, but at present there are few empirical therapies. Several studies have examined the role of dietary factors and data from randomized controlled trials suggest that oral antioxidant therapy can improve some sperm parameters. Health benefits of lycopene supplementation have been proposed for a variety of health conditions and here we examine whether it can help improve sperm quality. This study aimed to investigate the effect of 14 mg daily lactolycopene for 12 weeks on semen quality in healthy men.MethodsSixty healthy male participants were recruited and randomized to this double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel study and received either 14 mg/d lactolycopene or a placebo for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was a change in motile sperm concentration. Secondary endpoints were all other aspects of sperm quality, including the level of sperm DNA damage.ResultsFifty-six men completed the intervention and the level of plasma lycopene was significantly increased in the men randomized to receive lycopene supplementation. There was no significant change in the primary endpoint (motile sperm concentration) post-intervention (p = 0.058). However, the proportion of fast progressive sperm (p = 0.006) and sperm with normal morphology (p < 0.001) did improve significantly in response to lactolycopene intervention.ConclusionsSupplementation with 14 mg/d lactolycopene improves sperm motility and morphology in young healthy men.Clinical Trial Registry number and websiteISRCTN33248724 http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN33248724
Highlights
Current estimates suggest that infertility affects up to 16.7% of heterosexual couples in developed countries [1] and it is generally recognized that male sub-fertility plays a contributory role in up to 50% of cases [2]
Epidemiological studies have shown how certain occupations [5, 6], the wearing of tight underwear [7, 8], tobacco smoking [9], high body mass index (BMI) [10] and recreational drug use [11] are each associated with aspects of poor sperm quality
There is some evidence that dietary factors are correlated with sperm quality, for example, data on average daily nutrient intake from food and supplements obtained from self-administered food frequency questionnaires found that higher antioxidant intake was associated with higher sperm concentration and motility [12]
Summary
Current estimates suggest that infertility affects up to 16.7% of heterosexual couples in developed countries [1] and it is generally recognized that male sub-fertility plays a contributory role in up to 50% of cases [2]. For most sub-fertile men, there are few empirical therapies to improve poor sperm quality [4]. For most men, healthcare professionals can only focus on delivering general advice to highlight the known lifestyle risks for poor sperm quality. Epidemiological studies have shown how certain occupations [5, 6], the wearing of tight underwear [7, 8], tobacco smoking [9], high body mass index (BMI) [10] and recreational drug use [11] are each associated with aspects of poor sperm quality. Over 25 randomized controlled trials to test the effect of oral antioxidant supplementation (single or combined) versus placebo on semen quality have been conducted, the results are largely inconsistent and inconclusive due to their poor quality and high heterogeneity of design [13]
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