Almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts are renowned for supporting cardiovascular health and lowering bad cholesterol. Emerging research now links their regular consumption to enhanced sperm quality in men.
Lifestyle and environmental factors, such as alcohol, drugs, and smoking, are known to impair sperm count and quality. Recent studies have explored dietary influences, focusing on nuts.
Methylation is a crucial metabolic process that occurs in all body cells, involving the transfer of a methyl group (CH3) to regulate gene expression on DNA. It supports numerous bodily functions, including molecule production.
In a randomized clinical trial published in Andrology, researchers examined how walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds affect sperm DNA methylation. They recruited 72 healthy, non-smoking young men, with 48 instructed to add a small handful of this nut mixture to their daily diet for 14 weeks. The remaining participants served as a control group without nuts.
Results showed significant methylation changes in 36 genomic regions exclusively in the nut-consuming group. Notably, 97.2% of these (35 out of 36 regions) exhibited hyper-methylation, leading to increased sperm count, viability, and motility.
"This work demonstrates that there are certain sensitive regions of the sperm epigenome that respond to diet and that can lead to changes in sperm and its ability to fertilize," said study author Albert Salas-Huetos.
While the exact mechanisms remain under investigation, the nuts' folic acid and genistein content may contribute to these effects.
