Eating Tomatoes Could Boost Sperm Count

Men who have fertility issues who need a bedroom boost are being urged to try a fruity fertility-boosting alternative as a study reported in the Daily Mail shows that a key compound in tomatoes could increase a man’s fertility by up to 70 per cent.

Tomato

The study revealed that the key nutrient, lycopene that gives tomatoes their bright red colour could boost fertility in men.

The study was led by Ashok Agarwal, director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Reproductive Medicine, who revealed his team has already begun a trial giving lycopene supplements to men with unexplained infertility and they expect to announce the results next year.

He said: “There is a need for more large trials to analyse the effects of lycopene on male infertility, and the studies must establish which patient groups would derive the greatest benefit from the therapy – for example, we would need to compare lycopene supplementation in infertile men with low versus normal, baseline sperm concentration.”

The report which was published by the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, reviewed 12 studies by different groups around the world and they all showed that lycopene boosted sperm count and swimming speed and also reduced the number of abnormal sperm.

Other studies have shown the nutrient reduces diseases of the prostate, the gland which makes sperm, and may slow down or even halt the progress of prostate cancer.

The findings have been welcomed by Britain’s infertility experts.

According to Karen Veness, a spokeswoman for Britain’s Infertility Network, they were really positive about these findings.

Simon Fishel, a co-founder of the world’s first IVF clinic at Bourn Hall in Cambridgeshire, said work in Britain has also shown lycopene reduces damage to sperm.

He however said the big challenge would be to prove the next stage which is higher rates of pregnancy.

Male infertility refers to a male’s inability to cause pregnancy in a fertile female which is commonly due to deficiencies in the semen. Male infertility can be caused by problems that affect sperm production or the sperm transport process. With the results of medical tests, the doctor may be able to find a cause of the problem.