Organic fluid may increase longevity and fertility : laboratory study in fruit flies

Does eating organic increase fertility?

There is no doubt in my mind that there is truth in this statement. Nevertheless studies are conflicting and limited.
The reason  for this lack of evidence is that it takes a very long time for toxins to affect our bodies and an equally long time to detoxify.

Long studies are very difficult and expensive to carry out and there is no  "big pharma" who has an interest in proving the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
The video is very very interesting!

Link to video

What causes Low Sperm Count? The environment is playing a key role.

What causes Low Sperm Count? Are average  Sperm count levels for men going down?  Many studies over the years have suggested that t that global semen quality is declining. This has been confirmed over the years in many countries where epidemiological studies have been performed on average sperm counts.

A great way to study the state of affairs is the study of sperm counts of sperm donors. Sperm donors are just young men with no known fertility problems so  average sperm donor counts should be representative of what is going on in the overall population.

In this study out of Israel  the investigators compared what percentage of donor spem applicants were rejected because their sperm count was too low. What they discovered was that significantly more sperm donor applicants were below the acceptable values today compared to 15 years ago. This is despite the fact that over the past 7 years we have significantly lowered the standards.The authors conclude that : " If the old strict criteria were in place 88% of candidates would be rejected today" .

What is the cause of the decline in sperm count. There is no question that the environment intended both as environmental toxicants and inadequate diet is playing a major role.

I*s there any way to offset these environmental effects: there is no doubt that adequate supplementation with powerful antioxidants and minerals  can offset some of the deleterious effects of the world we live in.

Abstract Below

Despite the lowering of criteria for sperm parameters satisfactory for donation that were implemented in 2004, 38% of applicants for sperm donation are now rejected based on semen quality as compared to a third of applicants 10-15 years ago (P < 0.001). If the old strict criteria were in place 88% of candidates would be rejected today (P < 0.0001). Over the study period, the average sperm parameters dropped from a concentration of 106 +/- 25 million spermatozoa/ml with 79% +/- 4.3% motility to 68 +/- 14 million/ ml with 66% +/- 4.5% motile sperm (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, respectively). The total motile sperm count per ejaculate also decreased, from 66.4 +/- 18.2 million to 48.7 +/- 12 million (P < 0.005). When the previous criteria were implemented for the analysis of the latest group of sperm donors, only 18% of donors had an acceptable sperm quality, with an average concentration of 87 +/- 12 million spermatozoa/ml, 73% +/- 2.6% motile sperm and total motile sperm count of 53.1 +/- 3.8 million per ejaculate - still significantly lower than 15 years ago (P= 0.01, P= 0.003, P= 0.058 respectively).CONCLUSIONS:
The rapid deterioration of sperm quality among fertile semen donors is alarming

Haimov-Kochman R, Har-Nir R, Ein-Mor E, Ben-Shoshan V, Greenfield C, Eldar I, Bdolah Y, Hurwitz A. Is the quality of donated semen deteriorating? Findings from a 15 year longitudinal analysis of weekly sperm samples. Israel Medical Association Journal. 2012. Jun;14(6):372-7.

Dairy products and fertility: does milk help or harm?

I believe that the verdict is quiet clear that dairy may have negative effects on health.
Dairy is full of saturated fat and is linked to heart disease. Dairy causes digestive problems for the 75 percent of people with lactose intolerance. Dairy aggravates allergies and increases mucous production.

The only very large study looking at dairy and fertility was published in 2007 by the Harvard University group that ran the very large "Nurses' Health Study".  This is a perspective study  started in 1989 when more than 116 000 female registered nurses aged 24–42 completed and returned a mailed baseline questionnaire. Participants have been followed every 2 years since then with mailed questionnaires, including information on exposures and disease outcomes.

The objective of the study was to find if there was a link between milk consumption and ovulation anomalies. the conclusion of the study was that High intake of low-fat dairy foods may increase the risk of anovulatory infertility whereas intake of high-fat dairy foods may decrease this risk.

The study also concluded that  lactose  does not significantly impairs ovulatory function to the point of affecting fertility.

These findings go in what the authors describe as :  "opposite directions for low-fat and high-fat dairy foods and the fact that the strength of the associations did not seem to depend on the lactose content of the food"

I believe that   this is a typical example of a useless study that  end up with spurious otcomes due to the fact that people who have awareness of a health problem change their habits accordingly : in this case women with polycystic ovaries who had ovulatory problems tried to consume low-fat products believing that they are healthier.

A similar finding happened for a recent study in which obese children were more likely to consume low-fat milk. Its sort of the "chicken and the egg story".

The bottom line is that dairy may affect fertility at an immunological level, not only ovulatory. Based on this study the authors themselves did not feel confortable endorsing the consumption of milk by women who are trying to get pregnant or have infertility.


Abstract below:

Dairy foods and lactose may impair fertility by affecting ovulatory function. Yet, few studies have been conducted in humans and their results are inconsistent. We evaluated whether intake of dairy foods was associated with anovulatory infertility and whether this association differed according to fat content.

METHODS We prospectively followed 18 555 married, premenopausal women without a history of infertility who attempted a pregnancy or became pregnant during an 8-year period. Diet was assessed twice during the study using food—frequency questionnaires

RESULTS During follow-up, 438 women reported infertility due to an ovulatory disorder. The multivariate-adjusted relative risks (RR) [95% confidence interval (CI); P, trend] of anovulatory infertility comparing women consuming ≥ 2 servings per day to women consuming ≤1 serving per week was 1.85 (1.24–2.77; 0.002) for low-fat dairy foods. The RR (95% CI; P, trend) comparing women consuming ≥ 1 serving per day of high-fat dairy foods to those consuming ≤1 serving per week was 0.73 (0.52–1.01; 0.01). There was an inverse association between dairy fat intake and anovulatory infertility (P, trend = 0.05). Intakes of lactose, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D were unrelated to anovulatory infertility.

CONCLUSIONS High intake of low-fat dairy foods may increase the risk of anovulatory infertility whereas intake of high-fat dairy foods may decrease this risk. Further, lactose (the main carbohydrate in milk and dairy products) may not affect fertility within the usual range of intake levels in humans. 

 Source:

1. Hum. Reprod. (2007) 22 (5): 1340-1347. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dem019 First published online: February 28, 2007

A diet rich in monounsaturated fats may increase pregnancy rates in women who undergo IVF

There are various types of dietary fats:

Saturated fat. This is a type of fat that comes mainly from animal sources of food. Saturated fat raises total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Saturated fat may also increase your risk of type 2 diabetes

Examples of saturated fats are:

• Fish such as salmon, albacore tuna and sardines
• Walnuts
• Flaxx seed oil
• Fish oil supplements

 Monounsaturated fat. This is a type of fat found in a variety of foods and oils. Studies show that eating foods rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. Research also shows that MUFAs may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes. ( source : Mayo Clinic)

Examples of monounsaturated fats are:

• Canola oil
• Peanut oil
• Olives
• Olive oil
• Avocados
• Seeds such as safflower, sunflower and pumpkin
• Most nuts such as almonds, cashews and peanuts
• Almond butter, peanut butter and cashew butter

This study looked at dietary habits.and IVF outcomes. Abstract below:

In multivariate-adjusted regression models, higher intakes of total fat and saturated fat were related to fewer metaphase 2 (M2) oocytes retrieved. This association was driven by intake of saturated fat. Women in the highest third of saturated fat intake had, on average, 9.3 (95%CI: 5.9-14.7) mature oocytes while women reporting the lowest intake had 11.6 (95%CI: 8.1-16.7) mature oocytes, (p-trend = 0.03). Polyunsaturated fat consumption was inversely related to embryo quality. Women in the highest third of polyunsaturated fat intake, had a higher proportion of poor quality embryos (p-trend = 0.02) and slow cleaving embryos (p-trend = 0.001) than women in the lowest third of intake. In addition, higher trans fat consumption was associated with a lower proportion of accelerated cleavage embryos (p-trend = 0.03). Higher intakes of monounsaturated fat were related to higher odds of live birth. The odds ratio of a live birth among women with the highest intake of mono-unsaturated fat was 3.45 (95%CI: 1.12-10.62) when compared to women with the lowest intake (p-trend: 0.03).

Chavarro JE Colaci DS, Afeiche M, Gaskins, AJ, Write D, Toth TL, et al. Dietary fat intake and in-vitro fertilization outcomes: saturated fat intake is associated with fewer metaphase 2 oocytes. Hum Reprod 2012;suppl O-200.

Vitamin B12 Follicular Fluid levels are higher in patients who conceive through IVF: Study

 The objectives of this study out of  the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany were to investigate the levels of Homocysteine , Folic acid (FA) and Vit. B12 in serum and Follicular Fluid  of IVF patients and to determine whether these substances could be affect ICSI outcome.

In tis study a positive correlations was found between Folic acid level in Follicular Fluid  and the number of transferred embryos and pregnancy rate (r=0.25; P=0.031; r=0.121; P=0.318). Vit. B12 correlated significant positively with pregnancy (r=0.228; P=0.037).

This was a small study. More larger studies are needed to investigate the role of B12 levels, and B12 supplementation in fertility patient.

Source:  Fertility and Sterility - September 2012 (Vol. 98, Issue 3, Supplement, Page S28, DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2012.07.103)

Circulating vitamin D correlates with serum antimüllerian hormone levels in women older than 40

AMH stands for AntiMullerian Hormone. It is also called MIS (Mullerian Inhibiting Substance).  Since AMH is produced directly by the ovarian follicles, AMH levels correlate with the number of residual eggs in the ovary.  It has been documented that women with lower AMH have lower antral follicular counts and produce a lower number of oocytes compared to women with higher levels.

In this study the authors  demostrated that 25OH-D was positively correlated with serum AMH levels in late-reproductive-aged (age ≥40 years) women.

The authors conclude:

There is some evidence suggesting that vitamin D deficiency might be involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). In women with PCOS, low 25OH-D levels are associated with obesity and metabolic and endocrine disturbances  and vitamin D supplementation might improve menstrual frequency and metabolic disturbances in those women.   Because vitamin D induces the AMH gene  and because we found here that vitamin D and AMH are positively correlated, it is possible that vitamin D contributes to AMH actions by increasing AMH production by granulosa cells. These speculations warrant further investigation. ( Source : Fertility And Sterility)

At a minimum patients undergoing fertility treatments should be tested for vitamin D levels and Supplemented if  found deficient.

Women with Vitamin D deficiency have lower implantation at IVF: study

Physicians from the Albert Einstein school of medicine in New York measured follicular fluid levels of Vitamin D  in women who underwent follicular fluid aspiration for IVF.

One of their finding was that the follicular fluid Vitamin D level correlated with serum level: women who were Vitamin D deficient also had lower levels of Vitam D in their ovaries.

In addition the study found that although the number of eggs and embryos was the same . the women who were deficient in Vitamin D had much lower implantation rates.

Comments from the authors below:

Improved COH parameters, in the context of higher vitamin D levels, are suggestive of facilitatory implications of FF 25OH-D on ovarian steroidogenesis, albeit insignificantly so; these observations are hence in keeping with published literature.However, in the absence of any significant relationship with ovarian response, our observations may identify endometrial receptivity as the potential target for beneficial influences of higher circulating vitamin D levels.

The author continue....

The observed prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in an otherwise healthy population is concerning, especially in the context of accruing data on beneficial influences of replete vitamin D stores on multiple physiological processes and the emerging roles of vitamin D insufficiency in a spectrum of diseases. Given our findings, assessment of vitamin D status might be considered as a part of routine infertility workup since appropriate supplementation of those deemed depleted of vitamin D might translate to improved fertility outcome and improved overall health. These latter conjectures merit further assessment by appropriately designed longitudinal studies.

My conclusion is adequatte vitami D supplementation is an essential  in women deficient in Vitamin D who are undergoing IVF.

Serum levels of vitamin D associated with sperm quality

The main sources of vitamin D are sunlight, food, and supplementation.
Studies in rats have shown lower fertility rates among vitamin D–deficient males males and vitamin D supplementation improved testicular function in vitamin D–deficient rats , suggesting a direct and reversible detrimental effect of vitamin D deficiency . A few epidemiologic studies reported only a weak, if any, association between calcium levels and semen quality.Vitamin D receptors are present in human testis and spermatozoa. Vitamin D is important for spermatogenesis and maturation of sperm cells .

In this cross sectional study of over 700 men semen parameters were compared in men in two groups :  men with low vitamin D levels and men with high vitamin D levels. Findings are summarized below.

There was a trend of lower crude median total sperm count and percentage of normal morphology sperm with higher vitamin D, and men with high vitamin D had approximately 31% lower total sperm count and 23% lower normal morphology compared with men with low vitamin D

Link to article here

Alcohol Consumption and Fertility

I recently wrote a Blog  post on alcohol consumption and ferility.  I  am still schocked by the findings of this study that are summarized below

	Drinks Per Week	Percentage Reduction in monthly fecundity
Women	0-2	probably ok
	0-5	gray zone
	5-10	Reduction of 30%
	11-15	50 % reduction
Men
	0-10	probably ok
	10-15	30% reduction
	>15	30% or more reduction

Smoking and Alcohol and Male Fertility

No significant association was found  in a study  correlating sperm count with with smoking and alcohol consumption or the use of recreational drugs, a high BMI or having a history of mumps or fever.

The study, which is published in the journal Human Reproduction, compared 900 men with low sperm counts to 1,300 with high sperm counts. Turns out, use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol had little effect when comparing the populations, nor did being overweight.
The only thing that made a big difference was how snug pants and underwear were.
The study did not take into account the factors that , i believe , are the most important for male fertility: environmental exposure to toxicant chemical agents such as pesticides.