Previous studies have shown that vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin which is produced from sunshine and found in oily fish and eggs is important for a healthy pregnancy, but a new study shows that a deficiency may also affect sperm.

The research found that almost a third of men experiencing fertility problems had low levels of vitamin D. The University of Sydney findings presented at the Fertility Society Conference investigated DNA fragmentation of sperm, a significant factor in male infertility. DNA fragmentation of sperm is most often the result of cellular damage resulting from infection, smoking or advanced paternal age. 58% of the men had high levels of DNA fragmentation.  (If you are interested in this test, please see the Resources Page).  These findings add weight to a European study earlier this year that shows women’s vitamin D levels strongly correlate with their ability to conceive.

The results of this study once again show how beneficial for both male and female fertility positive diet and lifestyle changes can be. For most people just spending ten to twenty minutes outside in natural day light every day and eating two to three portions of oily fish a week is enough of a boost to vitamin D levels.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 3:40 am and is filed under Fertility, In the News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.