Omega-3 DHA promotes male fertility

Fertility in men: help from Omega 3 DHA

Decreased male fertility caused by abnormalities in sperm could be cured by taking the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). This is suggested by a study from the University of Illinois at Urbana (United States), published in the Journal of Lipid Research. According to the research, in fact, mice engineered so that they lack the enzyme to convert dietary sources of Omega-3 into DHA produce fewer sperm. Not only that, a higher than normal percentage of abnormalities was found in the seminal fluid of these animals. But the situation is not definitive: to prevent these sperm defects, it is sufficient to feed these engineered mice with DHA.

Sterile mice

Mice used by the research team led by Manabu Nakamura were deprived of the gene coding for an enzyme, delta-6-desaturase. This enzyme is needed to convert the main source of Omega-3 obtainable from plants - alpha linolenic acid - into DHA. Nakamura explained that without the DHA produced from dietary-introduced alpha linolenic acid, male mice are, fundamentally, infertile. In fact, the little sperm they manage to produce has an abnormal shape that does not allow it to perform its function. However, the researchers explain, DHA is not the only molecule that fails in the absence of this enzyme. Other fatty acids-specifically, arachidonic acid and n6-docosapentaenoic acid-are also absent in these mice. To figure out which molecule was responsible for the observed effects on sperm, the researchers fed the mice a diet enriched 0.2 percent with arachidonic acid, or DHA. Only in animals that had consumed the latter did fertility return to normal. This, the authors explain, means that Omega-3s are able to correct defects in male fertility.

Men and mice

But does the same apply to men? In fact, a previous study indicates that these findings could also be applied to male fertility problems in men. Researchers at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, Iran, have, in fact, shown that infertile men are characterized by reduced Omega-3 levels in sperm. The authors of this second study suggest the need to test the potential benefits of Omega-3 intake in infertile men. Indeed from a biological point of view these results would have a plausible explanation, Omega-3 fatty acids being a constituent of sperm membranes.

New hope

The appearance of sperm in DHA-deficient mice, Nakamura explains, offers clues as to the type of pathology caused by deficiency of this Omega-3. However, the researchers believe it is important to investigate further to understand what happens at the cellular level.  

Sources 

1. Roqueta-Rivera M, Stroud CK, Haschek WM, Akare SJ, Segre M, Brush RS, Agbaga MP, Anderson RE, Hess RA, Nakamura MT, "Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation fully restores fertility and spermatogenesis in male delta-6 desaturase-null mice," J Lipid Res. 2010 Feb;51(2):360-7. Epub 2009 Aug 18 

2. Safarinejad MR, Hosseini SY, Dadkhah F, Asgari MA, "Relationship of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids with semen characteristics, and anti-oxidant status of seminal plasma: a comparison between fertile and infertile men," Clin Nutr. 2010 Feb;29(1):100-5. Epub 2009 Aug 8.