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The Benefits of Male Fertility Supplements

Benefits of Fertility Supplements
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We use Advanced AI to translate our blog content. If the translation isn’t perfect, or if you have any queries about the content, our medical team is readily available to answer. Simply email [email protected]

Are male fertility supplements actually worth it? We think so! Here we’ll explore the key nutrients you need for sperm production and explain why supplements can be extremely helpful, when taken alongside a healthy, balanced diet.

Key Vitamins That Support Male Fertility

Before you can understand which fertility supplements will be most helpful for you, it’s important to learn about some of the most powerful micronutrients that can make a difference to your sperm health.

Zinc

Zinc is one of the most important nutrients for male fertility. Research has found a link between sperm quality and the zinc concentration within semen samples. Men who are struggling to conceive often have low levels of zinc. The nutrient helps to support healthy sperm production, so it’s unsurprising that a deficiency can impact sperm count, morphology and motility.

Recommended daily allowance for men – 11 milligrams.

You can find Zinc in foods like:

  • Oysters
  • Beef
  • Crab
  • Fortified breakfast cereals
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Pork
  • Turkey
  • Shrimp
  • Lentils

Vitamin C

We often connect Vitamin C with boost our immune system (which it definitely can!) but it can also have a powerful impact on our fertility. Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress in our body and protects our sperm cells from damage. Oxidative stress is responsible for 30% to 80% of male subfertility issues, so it’s definitely something you want to avoid! You can read more about oxidative stress here.

Recommended daily allowance – 90 milligrams a day.

You can find Vitamin C in foods like:

  • Red peppers
  • Citrus fruits and juices, like oranges and grapefruits
  • Kiwifruit
  • Broccoli
  • Strawberries
  • Brussels sprouts

Vitamin E

Another great antioxidant is Vitamin E, which has been shown to protect the sperm membrane from damage caused by free-radicals. When we protect the sperm cell from damage we not only reduce the risk of pregnancy complications but we can also improve mitochondrial activity in sperm, which means they have more energy!

Recommended daily allowance for men – 15 milligrams

You can find Vitamin E in foods like:

  • Nuts and seeds, like sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts and peanuts
  • Vegetable oils, including wheat germ, sunflower and safflower oils
  • Green leafy vegetables, like spinach and broccoli

Selenium

Selenium is another nutrient that your swimmers seem to love. Studies have shown that men with subfertility tend to have lower levels of selenium in their blood and it has been linked to healthy sperm production. However, some experts indicate that too much selenium can be a bad thing for your fertility, so that is worth considering before you go overboard!

Recommended daily allowance – 55 micrograms.

You can find Selenium in foods like:

  • Brazil nuts
  • Fish and seafood, like tuna, halibut, sardines and shrimp
  • Ham
  • Beef
  • Poultry, like turkey and chicken
  • Cottage cheese
  • Rice

L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine is a chemical made in the body from the amino acids, and is needed to release energy from fat. It transports fatty acids into mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells – including sperm cells! L-Carnitine is a very well studied supplement that has been shown to improve sperm motility.

Recommended daily allowance – around 2000 micrograms!

You can find L-Carnitine in foods like:

  • Beef
  • Poultry, like turkey and chicken
  • Milk
  • Cheese
  • Asparagus

Omega 3s

According to Manzoor, certified pharmacist and founder of Drugs Bank, Omega 3 is a potent antioxidant that can alleviate joint pain and potentially enhance sperm quality.

Omega-3s fatty acids are one of the most important antioxidants for protecting your sperm health. They are the “good” fat your body needs, but cannot produce on its own. There are 3 types of omega-3 fatty acids: ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and you need all of them to support your overall health and fertility.

Omega 3 doesn’t have an official RDA, but aiming for around 1,600 mg for men a day is a good marker.

You can find Omega-3 in foods like:

  • Oily fish
  • Seaweed
  • Flax Seed
  • Chia Seeds
  • Cod Liver Oil

So, Do I Need To Take Fertility Supplements?

When it comes to getting the nutrients you need to support your health and fertility – you should always start by focusing on whole foods, like the ones listed above. There is no magic pill or supplement that will give you all the vitamins you need if you are still eating an unhealthy diet.
However, sometimes it can be hard to get our recommended daily amount of certain nutrients every single day.

We are living in a world where soil is less nutrient dense than it used to be, so it’s becoming harder and harder to get the amount of nutrients we need from foods that were once bursting with vitamins.

Similarly, our busy lives mean we can’t always plan out every meal to perfectly match up to our recommended daily allowances. The pressure to track and measure out every single food you are eating is overwhelming at the best of times – let alone if you are on a fertility journey!

There are also diets that might mean we are getting less exposure to certain nutrients, even if we are eating healthily. For example, vegans sometimes struggle to get enough selenium in their diet.

Fertility supplements can be a great way of getting the targeted nutrients you need for your sperm health – but they should be used to supplement a healthy diet, not replace it – the clue is in the name!

 

Benefits of Fertility Supplements Compared To Other Supplements

If you want to take supplements to support your sperm health, it’s best to take ones that have been created with fertility in mind – like our ExSeed Multi or Omega 3. There are a few benefits to doing this:

 

Trusted Formulations

These supplements have been formulated by fertility specialists who have spent years researching sperm health. They will know what combination of micronutrients has the biggest impact on sperm health and will ensure that there are no hidden ingredients that could have a detrimental effect on your swimmers.

 

Exact Dosage Worked Out For You!

Recommended Daily Allowances can be confusing at the best of times, but if you are trying for a baby it might be that you need more than your RDA in certain micronutrients. Good fertility supplements will have worked out the perfect dose for each vitamin or mineral, so you know you’re getting an effective boost and not just spending money for the sake of it.

Save Time and Money

Speaking of money, the list of vitamins needed for fertility is long and if you bought all of these individually you’d spend a fortune and would probably spend hours researching and comparing the best ones. Not to mention it would make your bathroom cabinet look like a pharmacy!

 

ExSeed Supplements contain all of the Micronutrients mentioned in this article and have been created by our specialists with your sperm health in mind. You can learn more and join our monthly subscription to save time and money by scrolling to the bottom of the page and signing up + you’ll receive 10% off your first order!

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Wearing tight pants and underwear

Studies show that men who wear looser underwear have higher sperm concentration and total sperm count compared to men who wear tighter underwear. So, lose the tight clothes and wear something loose to give your testicles some air.

CONCLUSION: learn more about how heat can affect sperm quality here.

Stress

Besides higher mortality rate and various diseases, stress is associated with low sperm quality. Stress is known to be associated with lower testosterone levels and oxidative stress with both playing an essential role in producing and maintaining healthy sperm cells.

CONCLUSION: If you feel stressed, we recommend you get some help so you can have a balanced mental health. For a stress management guide, download the ExSeed app for free and start your personalized action plan today.

Physical activity

Scientific studies show that men who are physically active have better semen parameters than men who are inactive. Fertility specialists also state that regular physical activity has beneficial impact on sperm fertility parameters and such a lifestyle can enhance the fertility status of men.

Prioritizing exercise can help improve your overall health and result in healthy, fast swimming sperm cells that have good chances of fertilizing an egg.

CONCLUSION: Try incorporating exercise in your weekly schedule to you ensure exercising at least twice weekly. We recommend a combination of cardio training and strength exercise. Read more about exercise and male fertility on our blog.

Nutrition

Fast Food
Processed foods damage the health of sperm-producing cells and cause oxidative stress, which lead to poorer sperm quality. Heavy consumption of junk food (every week) can increase the likelihood of infertility since men who consume vast amounts of unhealthy food are at risk of having poor sperm quality. Besides harming your fertility, junk food enlarges your waistline, harms your cardiovascular system, kidneys, and more.

Vegetables
Eating more fruit and vegetables can increase your sperm concentration and motility. It’s important that you consume a healthy diet filled with antioxidants and that you eat vegetables every day. Foods such as apricots and red bell peppers are high in vitamin A, which improves male fertility by nurturing healthier sperm. Men who are deficient in this vitamin tend to have slow and sluggish sperm.

Sugary snacks/beverages: several times a week Excessive consumption of high sugar items can lead to oxidative stress, which negatively impacts testosterone levels and sperm motility. Sugary snacks and beverages are also highly associated with obesity and low fertility.
CONCLUSION: To boost sperm quality, stay away from fast food, processed food, and sugary snacks or beverages. You need to implement a healthy prudent diet filled with necessary superfoods needed for good sperm production. Check out our guide to Male Fertility Superfoods. For personalized guidance and support on how you can start improving your sperm health, check out the Bootcamp.

Heat

Direct heat can inhibit optimal sperm production and cause Sperm DNA damage. Sperm cells like environments that are a couple of degrees lower than body temperature. Avoid overheating from warm blankets, seat warmers, heat from your laptop, hot showers, and saunas.

Cigarette smoking

The exposure to tobacco smoke has significant negative effects on semen quality. The damage of cigarettes and nicotine of course depends on how many cigarettes you smoke per day and for how long, but even low usage (up to 10 cigarettes / day) can inhibit healthy sperm production.  

CONCLUSION: Stay as far away from cigarette smoking as possible if you care about your general health and your fertility. Read more here.

Cell phone

When you have your cell phone in your front pocket, your testicles are exposed to electromagnetic radiation, which studies have shown to damage the sperm cells. Put your phone in the back pocket of your pants or in your jacket pocket.

BMI

There is a clear association between obesity and reduced sperm quality. At least part of the reason for this is that obese men may have abnormal reproductive hormonal profiles, which can impair sperm production and lead to infertility. 

A BMI higher than 30 can lead to several processes in the body (overheating, increase in oxidative stress in the testes, sperm DNA damage, erectile dysfunction) that can have a negative impact on male fertility. This can result in problems when trying to conceive.  

CONCLUSION: BMI is one of the risk factors that influence semen quality and, for example, sperm motility.  

Alcohol

A beer or glass of wine now and then do not really harm sperm quality. But excess alcohol drinking (more than 20 units per week) can reduce the production of normally formed sperm needed for a successful pregnancy.

CONCLUSION: If you want to stay safe, stay under 14 units of alcohol per week. For more information on how alcohol can affect male fertility, take a look at our blog: “Alcohol and Sperm Quality”.

Age

Studies show that women younger than 35 and men younger than 40 have a better chance of getting pregnant. Men can produce sperm cells almost through their entire life, but the sperm cell DNA is more fragile and prone to damage after the age of 40.

As men age, their testes tend to get smaller and softer resulting in a decline in sperm quality and production. These changes are partly because of an age-related decrease in testosterone level, which plays a very important role in sperm

production. Higher male age (>40 years) is not only associated with a decline in sperm production but also with increased sperm DNA fragmentation and worsened morphology (shape) and motility (movement). These negative effects make the sperm cells less qualified for egg fertilization.

CONCLUSION: with an age under 40, you shouldn’t have to worry much about age as a factor in itself. However, studies have shown a slow decline after the age of 30-35 years

and if you are above 40 years of age, your sperm quality can be affected due to increased sperm DNA damage resulting in a decrease of sperm motility and concentration. Remember that you cannot evaluate the quality of a sperm sample by just looking at it – this requires a sperm analysis.