Blackmores Institute

The cross-sectional study of 1679 young Danish men (age range 18.7 – 19.4 years) found that after adjustment and comparison with men who did not take a fish oil supplement, men with fish oil supplementation on fewer than 60 day days had semen volume that was 0.64mL higher (95% CI, 0.15 to 1.12) mL higher (P for trend &lt; .001).
 
 “Similarly, testicular size in men with supplement intake on fewer than 60 days was 0.8 (95% CI, −0.2 to 1.9) mL larger. In men with fish oil supplement intake on 60 or more days was 1.5 (95% CI, 0.2 to 2.8) mL larger compared with men with no supplement intake (P for trend = .007),” the authors said.
 
 Researchers also found that men with fish oil supplement intake had a 20% (95%CI, 9%-31%) lower follicle-stimulating hormone level and 16% (95%CI, 8%-24%) lower luteinizing hormone level compared with men with no supplement intake.
 
 Interestingly a dose-response association was found, as men with intake of fish oil supplements on 60 or more days had higher semen volume, higher total sperm count, lower LH level, higher free testosterone level, and a lower free testosterone to LH ratio than men with fish oil intake on fewer than 60 days.
 
 According to the study, infertility affects approximately 15 percent of all couples and approximately 40 to 50 percent of these issues are due to male factors. In addition, the study notes that there is documentation of a decline in semen quality in the past 50 to 70 years which is likely to due to a number of factors such as lifestyle, exposure to chemicals with endocrine disrupting abilities and behavioural changes.
 
 “Fish, shellfish, other seafood, poultry, cereals, vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy, and skim milk have been found to be positively associated with several semen parameters. However, fish and fish liver oil in particular also contain other essential nutrients, including retinoic acid (ie, vitamin A) that have been associated with better semen quality. In addition, diets rich in processed meats, soy foods, potatoes, full-fat and total dairy products, cheese, coffee, alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sweets have been associated with worse semen quality. However, it is difficult to assess whether these associations are causal,” the authors explained.
 
 “To our knowledge, RCTs on intake of fish oil supplements have only been performed among men with infertility, and our findings need to be confirmed in well-designed RCTs among unselected men or in large prospective cohort studies.”
 
 These findings suggest that healthy men may benefit from intake of fish oil supplements.
 
 “In this large cross-sectional study, we found positive associations of self-reported use of fish oil supplements with testicular function as measured by higher semen volume, total sperm count, and testis size, lower FSH and LH levels, and a higher free testosterone to LH ratio,” the study concluded.
 
 Source:
 JAMA Netw Open. 2020. DOI: <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2758861">10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.19462</a>.

Results from a Danish study have found that healthy men may be able to improve their testicular function by taking fish oil supplements.

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