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Could carrots be the secret to healthy sperm?

A recent study conducted at Harvard and published in Fertility and Sterility examined the effect of eating fruits and vegetables on men’s sperm. The study included 200 men who were asked to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to determine the relationship between a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and the quality of a man’s sperm. The findings showed that of all the fruits and vegetables, carrots had the best results in terms of having a positive effect on sperm motility – the ability of the sperm to swim towards the egg.

The results showed that those who ate yellow and orange fruits and vegetables like carrots, sweet potato, and melon had better sperm parameters. The researchers believe that this is due to the carotenoids, or pigments in these foods, because the body converts them into antioxidants, which have been found to have a positive overall impact on health. Of these foods, carrots in particular were found to improve sperm performance by between 6.5 to 8 percent. Red fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, which contain the anti-cancer chemical lycopene, were associated with better sperm morphology, or shape. Men who ate foods with lycopene had 8 to 10 percent more normal sperm than those who didn’t.

Based on their findings, the researchers suggest that eating foods with carotenoids, like carrots, and with lycopene, like tomatoes, can have a positive impact on sperm quality.

Read more about nutrition and men’s fertility here, herehere, and here.

Read more about the study here.

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