Dietary Supplements Do Not Solve Male Infertility
According to a study conducted by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD), dietary supplements containing zinc and folic acid, marketed as treatments for male infertility, may not improve pregnancy rates, sperm counts or sperm function.
So-called infertility supplements contain zinc and folic acid, zinc is a mineral essential for spermatogenesis, and previous studies of these nutrients as treatments for male infertility had produced conflicting results.
The study.
included 2,370 couples planning fertility treatment in four U.S. cities and their surrounding areas.Men were randomly assigned and distributed either a supplement containing 5 mg of folic acid and 30 mg of zinc, or a placebo.
Results.
There was no significant difference in birth outcomes between the two groups.
404 (34%) in the supplement group
416 (35%) in the placebo group.
Similarly, the groups did not differ across a variety of measures of sperm health, including sperm movement, shape, and total number.
However, the rate of sperm DNA fragmentation was higher in the supplement group (29.7 percent) compared to the placebo group (27.2 percent).
The study suggested that higher rates of sperm DNA fragmentation were associated with infertility.
In addition, gastrointestinal symptoms were the main side effect of the supplement.
Supplement vs. placebo
Abdominal discomfort (6% vs. 3%)
Nausea (4% vs. 2%)
Vomiting (3% vs. 1%)
Schisterman EF, etal. Effect of folic acid and zinc supplementation in men on semen quality and fertility in couples undergoing fertility treatment: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2019.
Summary.
We have learned that taking folic acid and zinc-containing products marketed against infertility may not be helpful in treatment.
It's up to you to decide what you think about the opposite results of a randomized study that had previously shown positive results.
It seems to be the first of several randomized placebo trials, so once these are collected, we will have a better idea of the rationale behind the results.
