Men wondering how to increase their fertility would be wise to get more walnuts in their diet. Walnuts are a fertility food that can boost a man’s natural fertility levels.

Walnuts are a fertility food? They are. According to a paper published in Biology of Reproductions Papers-in-Press by Dr. Wendie Robbins from the University of California, Los Angeles, walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), a fatty acid that is critical in the formation of sperm membranes and sperm maturation processes. Men who consumed more of these PUFAs saw an increase in the quality of their sperm.

In the study, Robbins and her colleagues chose a sample of 117 men between the ages of 21 and 35 that would be split into two groups, the control group and a group that ate 75 grams of walnuts every day. After 12 weeks, the control group had no changes to their samples, but the group that ate walnuts saw an improvement in the sperm vitality, movement and shape. The second group also saw fewer chromosomal abnormalities in their samples after eating the walnuts.

One of the key takeaways from this study is that nutrition is critical to your body’s reproductive health. Getting the nutrients your body needs to perform its functions efficiently and effectively is one of the best things you can do to boost your fertility to its best potential.

Another important point about the study is that the type of fats eaten directly affects the quality of a man’s sperm. Research has shown that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in walnuts, are associated with healthier sperm quality and production levels. But diets that are high in saturated fats, like the kind found in cookies and fried foods, have been connected to lower-quality sperm and less production of them.

It is not clear from the study if adding walnuts to your diet is effective in helping men who have been diagnosed as infertile to beat the diagnosis. It is clear, however, that eating walnuts either straight out of the shell or mixed in with other foods is certainly not going to hurt.

Eating a small amount of walnuts that are rich in PUFAs every day is important to help men increase fertility. In general, what you eat affects what you produce, so you should be sure to get plenty of fertility foods in your diet when you are trying to conceive.

Sources:

Rubin, Rita. “Walnuts May Improve Sperm Quality in Healthy Men.” www. webmd.com. 15 August 2012. Web. 6 March 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/news/20120815/walnuts-may-improve-sperm-quality-healthy-men>

“A Pack of Walnuts a Day Keeps the Fertility Specialist Away?” www.sciencedaily.com. 15 August 2012. Web. 6 March 2014. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120815151610.htm >