Walnuts for Healthy Sperm

Young men who add walnuts to their diets can help improve the quality of their sperm. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that eating 2.6 ounces of whole-shelled walnuts daily improved the vitality of sperm, their motility (swimming speed) and their morphology (shape) over 12 weeks. A total of 117 men participated; about half added the walnuts to their diets while the others continued to eat normally but avoided tree nuts. None of the men had fertility problems, the researchers said, although 20 percent had low sperm counts. The researchers noted that nuts (and walnuts in particular) provide alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as omega-6 fatty acids, antioxidants, folic acid and other micronutrients. They reported that increasing amounts of ALA in sperm were associated with a lower proportion of sperm missing a sex chromosome and a lower percentage of sperm with any numerical chromosomal abnormalities after the 12 week study ended. The research team now wants to study whether eating walnuts daily can help directly with fertility in men.