Male infertility could have any number of causes, he noted. So couples having trouble conceiving should not pin their hopes on vitamins. Recently, a new study at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, suggests middle-aged and older men who get enough antioxidants in their diets may have better-quality sperm than men who are lacking in the nutrients.
Researchers found that among men age 45 or older, those who got the most vitamins C and E, folate and zinc tended to have fewer DNA-strand breaks in their sperm.
That’s a measure of the genetic quality of sperm, which is known to decline as a man ages.
The findings do not prove that antioxidants directly improve sperm quality – or boost the chances of a healthy pregnancy. But it wasn’t overall nutrition that was linked to older men’s sperm quality, it was the antioxidants specifically.Antioxidants help mop up reactive oxygen species, but that does not mean men should start scarfing supplements for the sake of their sperm. Even if the nutrients are the reason, the men in this study with the best-quality sperm just got the recommended amounts of antioxidants, through food or pills.
Foods rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits, red and green peppers and tomatoes. Vitamin E is found in certain vegetable oils, nuts like almonds and green vegetables like spinach and broccoli, while zinc sources include seafood, red meat, beans, nuts and dairy.
The findings were similar when the researchers looked at vitamin E, zinc and folate, though the differences in sperm DNA damage were smaller. Again, older men in the high-intake groups typically got more of each nutrient than is recommended, but were still well within the safe ranges.
The recommended daily intake for vitamin E is 15 mg (and no more than 1,000 mg); for zinc, it’s 11 mg (and no more than 40 mg); and for folate, it’s 400 mg (no more than 1,000 mg).
The researchers found no link between antioxidant intake and sperm quality in younger men.
Posted by 4menhealth 
Men's Health 