Antioxidants intake and semen quality in men attending a fertility clinic

Abstract

To evaluate whether the intake of the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E and carotenoids is associated with semen quality parameters in a population of men seeking fertility evaluation. Cross-sectional study. Male partners of couples attending the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center were invited to participate in the study. Intakes of vitamins A, C and E and carotenoids were assessed using a previously validated food frequency questionnaire. Semen quality was assessed manually and by computer-aided semen analysis. 99 men with complete semen analysis and diet data were included in the analysis. Linear regression was used to analyze the association of each micronutrient with semen quality parameters adjusting for total energy intake, age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, smoking, intakes of alcohol and caffeine, abstinence time and previous infertility exam. Age was positively associated with higher intakes of vitamins A, C, E and carotenoids. Men with previous infertility exams were more likely to use vitamin A supplements. Vitamin A intake was significantly associated with lower sperm motility and morphology (P=0.01, 0.005 respectively) and moderately associated with lower sperm concentration (P=0.06).These associations were driven by intake of supplements. Vitamin A intake from foods sources alone was unrelated to semen quality. Men in the highest quartile of alpha carotene intake had 2% (-3.7%, -0.4%) fewer morphologically normal spermatozoa than those in the lowest quartile (p-trend = 0.02).There was no association between vitamin C and E with semen quality. Dietary intakes of vitamins A, C and E were unrelated to semen quality parameters. There is a suggestive association between alpha carotene intake and inferior sperm morphology.