How antioxidants may help male fertility, by experts

ANTIOXIDANT supplements may benefit
couples, who have difficulty conceiving
naturally, according to a new systematic
review published recently in The Cochrane
Library.
The review provides evidence from a small
number of trials that suggest the partners
of men, who take antioxidants, are more
likely to become pregnant.
Male sub-fertility affects one in 20 men.
Chemicals called reactive oxygen species
(ROS) are said to cause damage to cells, and
in particular sperm cells, which may result in
lowered sperm counts and interfere with
their ability to fertilise eggs.
Antioxidants include natural and synthetic
chemicals, including certain vitamins and
minerals, which help to reduce the damage
caused by ROS.
The review focused on 34 trials involving
2,876 couples undergoing assisted
reproductive techniques such as in vitro
fertilisation and sperm injections. Most men
in the trials had low sperm counts or low
sperm motility. The trials explored the use
of many different types of oral
antioxidants, including vitamin E, L-
carnitine, zinc and magnesium.
Compared to controls, a couple was more
likely to have a pregnancy or live birth if
the man took antioxidants. However, these
results are based on just 964 of the couples
in the review for pregnancies and 214
couples for live births.
Other trials tested the effects of
antioxidants on sperm motility and
concentration and showed mostly positive
effects, although study group sizes were
small.
“When trying to conceive as part of an
assisted reproductive programme, it may be
advisable to encourage men to take oral
antioxidant supplements to improve their
partners ’ chances of becoming pregnant,”
said lead researcher, Marian Showell, who
works in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the
University of Auckland in Auckland, New
Zealand. “However, these conclusions are
currently based on limited evidence.”
There were not enough data comparing
different antioxidants to reach any
conclusions about the relative effectiveness
of supplements. “We need more head-to-
comparisons to understand whether any
one antioxidant is performing better than
any other, ” said Showell.