In a new study, researchers found that men who take fish oil supplements have better sperm quality, higher testosterone levels, and larger testicles.
All these male reproductive factors may lead to overall improved fertility in men.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of Southern Denmark.
Previous research has shown that supplements containing zinc and folic acid don’t appear to boost male fertility despite their reputation.
In the study, the team tested nearly 1,700 young Danish men who reported for a compulsory medical examination between 2012 and 2017 to determine their fitness to serve in the military.
About 6% of the men reported using fish oil supplements within the past three months, and half of those said they’d taken them 60 or more days during that period.
The team found these men had significantly higher semen volume and total sperm count.
There was no significant difference in sperm quality when they looked at men taking other sorts of daily supplements.
For example, the men who took multivitamins or B vitamins or C vitamins didn’t have the same effect.
The findings are in line with previous clinical trials that found that older men had better sperm counts after 14 weeks of eating nuts as a means of improving their omega-3 intake.
The team says the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil had a direct effect on sperm count and testosterone levels.
Sperm cells contain a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, so it would make sense that increasing the intake would lead to healthier sperm.
They would definitely recommend taking fish oil supplements to try and improve male fertility.
On the other hand, pollution, smoking, alcohol, lack of physical activity, stress and unhealthy diets have been linked to a decline in semen quality.
The lead author of the study is Tina Kold Jensen, a professor of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark.
The study is published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
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