Processed meat intake is unfavorably and fish intake favorably associated with semen quality indicators among men attending a fertility clinic

Abstract

Emerging literature suggests that men's diets may affect spermatogenesis as reflected in semen quality indicators, but literature on the relation between meat intake and semen quality is limited. Our objective was to prospectively examine the relation between meat intake and indicators of semen quality. Men in subfertile couples presenting for evaluation at the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center were invited to participate in an ongoing study of environmental factors and fertility. A total of 155 men completed a validated food-frequency questionnaire and subsequently provided 338 semen samples over an 18-mo period from 2007-2012. We used linear mixed regression models to examine the relation between meat intake and semen quality indicators (total sperm count, sperm concentration, progressive motility, morphology, and semen volume) while adjusting for potential confounders and accounting for within-person variability across repeat semen samples. Among the 155 men (median age: 36.1 y; 83% white, non-Hispanic), processed meat intake was inversely related to sperm morphology. Men in the highest quartile of processed meat intake had, on average, 1.7 percentage units (95% CI: -3.3, -0.04) fewer morphologically normal sperm than men in the lowest quartile of intake (P-trend = 0.02). Fish intake was related to higher sperm count and percentage of morphologically normal sperm. The adjusted mean total sperm count increased from 102 million (95% CI: 80, 131) in the lowest quartile to 168 million (95% CI: 136, 207) sperm in the highest quartile of fish intake (P-trend = 0.005). Similarly, the adjusted mean percentages of morphologically normal sperm for men in increasing quartiles of fish intake were 5.9 (95% CI: 5.0, 6.8), 5.3 (95% CI: 4.4, 6.3), 6.3 (95% CI: 5.2, 7.4), and 7.5 (95% CI: 6.5, 8.5) (P-trend = 0.01). Consuming fish may have a positive impact on sperm counts and morphology, particularly when consumed instead of processed red meats.

Conflict of interest statement

Author disclosures: M. C. Afeiche, A. J. Gaskins, P. L. Williams, T. L. Toth, D. L. Wright, C. Tanrikut, R. Hauser, and J. E. Chavarro, no conflicts of interest.

© 2014 American Society for Nutrition.

Figures

FIGURE 1

Adjusted semen quality indicators in 155 men (338 semen samples) from the Environment and Reproductive Health Study according to total fish intake. Data points and bars represent means and 95% CIs for total sperm count (A), sperm concentration (B), percent progressively motile sperm (C), and percent morphologically normal sperm (D). Adjusted for age, total energy intake, BMI, race, smoking status, abstinence interval, previous infertility diagnosis, and dietary patterns. Total fish was defined as the sum of dark meat fish (including canned tuna and other dark meat fish such as salmon and bluefish), white meat fish (including breaded fish cakes and other white meat fish such as cod, haddock, and halibut), and shellfish (including shrimp, lobster, scallops, and clams as a main dish). Number of participants by increasing quartile of meat intake was n = 40, 35, 43, and 37, respectively.

FIGURE 2

Relative difference in total normal count in 155 men (338 semen samples) from the Environment and Reproductive Health Study associated with consuming 2 servings/wk of fish instead of other meats. Data points and bars represent means and 95% CIs. Adjusted for age, total energy intake, BMI, race, smoking status, abstinence interval, previous infertility diagnosis, and dietary patterns. Keeping total meat intake constant, but switching out processed meats for fish, was associated with significantly higher total normal count. For example, consuming 2 servings/wk of fish in lieu of 2 servings/wk of processed red meats was associated with an ∼60% higher total normal count (95% CI: 17.9, 117.4).