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Eating junk food may reduce a man's sperm count, research has shown.

A study of men attending a US fertility clinic found those with the fattiest diets produced significantly less sperm. Their sperm density was also lower.

The research also showed that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and plant oils, were associated with improved sperm quality.

Men were divided into three groups according to how much fat they consumed. Compared with those eating the least fat, men with the highest fat intake had a 43% lower sperm count and 38% lower sperm concentration. Sperm concentration, or density, is defined as the number of sperm per unit volume of semen.

Men consuming the most omega-3 fatty acids had 1.9% more correctly formed sperm than men with the lowest intake.

Lead scientist Professor Jill Attaman, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, US, said: "The magnitude of the association is quite dramatic and provides further support for the health efforts to limit consumption of saturated fat given their relation with other health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease."

The findings are reported in the journal Human Reproduction.

More work is needed to confirm the findings, say the researchers who acknowledge that their small study involving just 99 men was limited.

Eating a fatty diet did not appear to impair the fertility of any of the men in the study. None had sperm counts or concentrations below the "normal" levels of at least 39 million and 15 million per millilitre.

Leading British fertility expert Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, said: "This is a relatively small study showing an association between dietary intake of saturated fats and semen quality. Perhaps unsurprisingly there appeared to be a reasonable association between the two, with men who ate the highest levels of saturated fats having the lowest sperm counts and those eating the most omega-3 polyunsaturated fats having the highest."

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Junk food diet 'lowers sperm count'

Fatty diets may be associated with reduced semen quality, according to a study published Wednesday in the European reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction.

In a study of 99 U.S. men, researchers found an association between high total fat intake and lower total sperm count and concentration. It also found that men who ate more omega-3 fats (often found in fish and plant oils) had better formed sperm than men who ate less of these types of fats.

"At a global level, adopting these lifestyle modifications may improve general health, as high-saturated fat diets are known to be a risk factor for a range of cardiovascular diseases; but, in addition, our research suggests that it could be beneficial for reproductive health worldwide," said Dr. Jill Attaman, an Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology instructor at Harvard Medical School at the time of the research, in a statement.

"Little is known of how diet may influence male reproductive potential," researchers said in the study.

Men, with an average age of 37 years, who attended a fertility clinic were investigated between December 2006 and August 2010.

Researchers questioned them about their diet and analyzed samples of their semen. Also, 23 of the 99 men participating in the study were measured for levels of fatty acids in their sperm and seminal plasma.

Participants were divided into three groups according to the amount of unsaturated fats they consumed. Men with the third-highest fat intake had a 43 per cent lower sperm count and 38 per cent lower sperm concentration than men in the group with the lowest fat intake.

Men who consumed the most omega-3 fatty acids had slightly more sperm (1.9 per cent) that were "correctly formed" than men in the third that had the lowest intake of omega-3.

Meanwhile, researchers noted some limitations: the study size is small and needs to be replicated by further research to confirm the role of fatty diets on men's fertility, they said. Also, the use of a food frequency questionnaire might not accurately reflect men's actual diets. And only one semen sample per man was collected.

Researchers cautioned that the study can only show an association between dietary fats and semen quality and cannot show causation.

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Too much fat in men's diet could lower chances of fertility: Study

Public release date: 13-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Emma Mason wordmason@mac.com European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Men's diets, in particular the amount and type of different fats they eat, could be associated with their semen quality according to the results of a study published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction [1] today (Wednesday).

The study of 99 men in the USA found an association between a high total fat intake and lower total sperm count and concentration. It also found that men who ate more omega-3 polyunsaturated fats (the type of fat often found in fish and plant oils) had better formed sperm than men who ate less.

However, the researchers warn that this is a small study, and its findings need to be replicated by further research in order to be sure about the role played by fats on men's fertility. Professor Jill Attaman, who was a Clinical and Research Fellow in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School at the time of the research [2], said: "In the meantime, if men make changes to their diets so as to reduce the amount of saturated fat they eat and increase their omega-3 intake, then this may not only improve their general health, but could improve their reproductive health too. At a global level, adopting these lifestyle modifications may improve general health, as high saturated fat diets are known to be a risk factor for a range of cardiovascular diseases; but, in addition, our research suggests that it could be beneficial for reproductive health worldwide."

A number of previous studies have investigated the link between body mass index (BMI) and semen quality, with mixed results. However, little is known about the potential role of dietary fats and semen quality, and so Prof Attaman and her colleagues set out to investigate it in men attending a fertility clinic.

Between December 2006 and August 2010 they questioned the men about their diet and analysed samples of their semen; they also measured levels of fatty acids in sperm and seminal plasma in 23 of the 99 men taking part.

The men were divided into three groups according to the amount of fats they consumed. Those in the third with the highest fat intake had a 43% lower total sperm count and 38% lower sperm concentration than men in the third with the lowest fat intake. "Total sperm count" is defined as the total number of sperm in the ejaculate, while "sperm concentration" is defined as the concentration of sperm (number per unit volume). The World Health Organisation provides a definition of "normal" total sperm count and concentration as follows: the total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate should be at least 39 million; the concentration of spermatozoa should be at least 15 million per ml.

The study found that the relationship between dietary fats and semen quality was largely driven by the consumption of saturated fats. Men consuming the most saturated fats had a 35% lower total sperm count than men eating the least, and a 38% lower sperm concentration. "The magnitude of the association is quite dramatic and provides further support for the health efforts to limit consumption of saturated fat given their relation with other health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease," said Prof Attaman.

Men consuming the most omega-3 fats had slightly more sperm (1.9%) that were correctly formed than men in the third that had the lowest omega-3 intake.

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Fatty diets may be associated with reduced semen quality

By Phylis Canion Originally published March 13, 2012 at midnight, updated March 13, 2012 at 4:05 p.m.

Like many others, I started a diet after the new year. I have tried many with little success. Can you please share with me why so many diets just don't work - or at least for me? I have tried diets from the cabbage soup diet, low fat diet, low-carb diet and banana diet to name a few, and while I may lose a little, I always seem to put the weight back on, sometimes even more weight than I lost. It is frustrating and I am at my wits end trying to figure out my next step. Is there a better diet for women? Please help me.

The bottom line is that most diets are a temporary fix for a permanent problem. In order for a diet to work, you should change your eating behaviors (i.e., chew your food properly) and lifestyle (i.e., do not eat at 9 p.m. and go to bed at 10 p.m.), reduce your stress and it should not be an on/off program.

The most effective way to begin a lifestyle change is to gradually add healthier foods, supplement with whole food daily vitamins, drink plenty of good water and incorporate exercise a few times a week.

If you want to lose weight, you will have to eat fewer calories (than you burn daily).

I recommend you choose foods that you can see yourself enjoying, yet they are still nutritious and healthy and you can continue to include those foods in your eating program, even as you age.

Do not cut your calorie intake too dramatically because if you deprive your body of the necessary calories, your body will think you are in the middle of a famine and will do its best to keep you from dying of hunger. By going into starvation mode the body lowers the metabolic rate to preserve fat and energy reserves.

The result is that the body will consume your muscles before it will start on your fat stores because muscle tissue requires the most calories. Your body is very smart and programmed to survive. Unfortunately, we are a society of instant gratification - open something up, zap the contents and hurriedly eat it.

I believe that old saying, "You are what you eat," has a clearer meaning now than ever before. The management of stress plays an integral role in dieting. Be it mental, physical or emotional, stress is not a state of mind.

Studies indicate that regular stress causes a chronic immune response, which is not conducive to weight loss. There are many ways to employ a successful diet, and some diets do work better for some than for others.

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Do You Know Nutrition: Lifestyle change will aid in weight-loss quest

Olivier de Schutter recommends cracking down on junk food advertising, regulating foods high in fats and sugar, and tax unhealthy products.

Image: Andrei Zarubaika/Shutterstock

Olivier de Schutter, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, has issued five recommendations for fixing diets and food systems:

De Schutter explains:

One in seven people globally are undernourished, and many more suffer from the 'hidden hunger' of micronutrient deficiency, while 1.3 billion are overweight or obese.

Faced with this public health crisis, we continue to prescribe medical remedies: nutrition pills and early-life nutrition strategies for those lacking in calories; slimming pills, lifestyle advice and calorie counting for the overweight.

But we must tackle the systemic problems that generate poor nutrition in all its forms.

Governments, he said:

have often been indifferent to what kind of calories are on offer, at what price, to whom they are accessible, and how they are marketed.... We have deferred to food companies the responsibility for ensuring that a good nutritional balance emerges.

...heavy processing thrives in our global food system, and is a win-win for multinational agri-food companies ... but for the people, it is a lose-lose.... In better-off countries, the poorest population groups are most affected because foods high in fats, sugar, and salt are often cheaper than healthy diets as a result of misguided subsidies whose health impacts have been wholly ignored.

Excerpt from:
The UN Special Rapporteur Offers 5 Ways to Fix Unhealthy Diets

By Duane D. Stanford - Tue Mar 13 13:04:16 GMT 2012

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News

A customer looks over the soda selection in Kearny, New Jersey, U.S.

A customer looks over the soda selection in Kearny, New Jersey, U.S. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News

Last month, Hawaii lawmakers killed a proposed tax that would have added 17 cents to a single-serve bottle of soda. It was the second failed attempt, even though Governor Neil Abercrombie had pushed the proposed levy.

Like many advocates of a sugary beverage tax, Abercrombie faced a well-funded lobbying campaign from soda makers opposed to such efforts, which are designed to stem rising rates of obesity. Since the beginning of 2009, PepsiCo Inc. (PEP), Coca-Cola Co. (KO) and the American Beverage Association have spent as much as $70 million on lobbying and issue ads, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a proponent of soda taxes.

Efforts to enact such levies have foundered in 30 states.

Whoever is loudest tends to control the discussion and, generally speaking, you buy your microphone with money, said Judith Phillips, a research analyst for Mississippi State University who studied the issue for lawmakers.

Health advocates agree soft drinks are an unhealthy source of sugar in Americans diets. More than 35 percent of U.S. adults and about 17 percent of youths -- or roughly 90 million people -- are considered obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some say taxing soft drinks is one of the most effective ways to reverse the trend.

Following the presidential election, states and cities may restart a push on soda taxes. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter hasnt ruled out a third try for a tax on sugary beverages. In Baltimore, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake wants to more than double a 2-cent per container tax adopted in 2010 to 5 cents. Richmond, California, a San Francisco suburb, will put a soda tax referendum to voters later this year.

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Anti-Obesity Soda Tax Fails as Lobbyists Spend $70 Million in U.S.: Retail

Just in time to spoil the promise of warm-weather picnics, Harvard scientists have found that daily consumption of red meat particularly the kind you might like to grill may significantly increase your risk of premature death.

While this much has long been suspected, perhaps even by you, the Harvard-led study is the first nuanced analysis to calculate the risk that a serving of red meat can have on your longevity compared with other protein sources.

The study measures, for example, how much one could expect to lower their risk of early death by replacing pork and beef with poultry, fish, nuts or beans can lower the risk of early death; they found chicken was at least as healthy an alternative to red meat as beans and whole grains.

"This paper does not give a green light to a low-fat, high-carb diet," senior author Frank Hu of Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) told LiveScience. "Instead, it underscores the importance of types or quality of protein." [7 Foods Your Heart Will Hate]

The study was published today (March 12) online in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

120,000 people can't be wrong

The researchers, led by An Pan at HSPH, tapped into two longitudinal health studies the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, and the Nurses' Health Study which capture health and dietary information from approximately 120,000 adults who were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at the onset of the study and followed for up to 28 years.

For these subjects, 20 percent of whom died during the study, one daily serving of unprocessed red meat such as steak or pork chops was associated with a 13 percent increased risk of dying during the study. One daily serving of processed red meat, such as a hot dog or bacon, was associated with a 20 percent increased risk.

Conversely, replacing one serving of red meat with one serving of a healthy protein source was associated with a lower mortality risk: 19 percent lower when the meat was replaced with nuts; 14 percent for poultry; 14 percent for whole grains; 10 percent for legumes; 10 percent for low-fat dairy products; and 7 percent for fish. [Top 10 Leading Causes of Death]

"This study provides clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death," said Hu.

Continued here:
Red Meat a Ticket to Early Grave, Harvard Says

By Elizabeth Nolan Brown, for Blisstree.com

Omnivores, take note: Embracing a vegetarian diet could make you happier and less stressed, according to new research published in Nutrition Journal.

The reason comes down to fatty acids: Diets that include meat and fish are higher in arachidonic acid (AA), an animal source of omega-6 fatty acids. Much of the meat Americans eat today is quite high in AA: The average omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid profile of modern grain-fed meat is 5 times higher than grass-fed meat, like our ancestors ate. And previous research has shown high levels of AA can cause mood-disturbing brain changes.

More from Blisstree.com: Meatless Monday: 10 Vegetarian Comfort Food Recipes Does Going Vegan Change Your Metabolism? 6 Ways to Sneak More Omega-3s Into Your Diet (Even If You're Vegan)

High-fish diets also mean higher levels of long-chain, or omega-3 fatty acids, like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Both EPA and DHA combat the negative effects of AA. High dietary levels of omega-3 fatty acids are linked to better brain health, better mood and a host of other health benefits. Most health experts recommend an omega-6/omega-3 ratio of about 4:1.

In theory, then, frequent fish eaters should have be protected against the damaging effects of AA because of their higher intake of omega-3 acids. But an earlier study found omnivores reported significantly worse moods than vegetarians, despite higher intakes of EPA and DHA.

In this follow-up study, 39 meat-eating participants were assigned to one of three diets. A control group ate meat, fish or poultry daily; a second group ate fish 3-4 times weekly but no meat; and a third group ate strictly vegetarian. After two weeks, mood scores were unchanged for the fish- and meat-eating groups, but vegetarians reported significantly better moods and less stress.

After two weeks on a vegetarian diet, participants had negligible amounts of EPA, DHA and AA in their bodies. Fatty acid levels in the control group were unchanged. Participants in the fish eating group showed 95 to 100% higher levels of EPA and DHA fatty acidsbut their omega-6 to omega-3 ratios were still heavily skewed toward omega-6s.

To work plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids (called ALA) into your diet, try chia seeds, hemp seed, cauliflower and purslane.

Also on HuffPost:

Originally posted here:
Vegetarian Diet Could Make You Happier And Less Stressed, Study Shows

Posted: Sunday, March 11, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 12:44 am, Sun Mar 11, 2012.

Josh Queen remembers seeing the pretty blonde when she came into Precision Fitness a few years ago.

He was one of the co-owners and trainer, she was a client.

"It took me about a year to talk to her," he said, smiling. "I told her, 'You're beautiful, you're intimidating to talk to.'"

"You talked to every body but me," she answered

"I wasn't intimidated by them," Josh Queen said.

He finally found the courage for that first conversation. Good thing. It led to wedding vows last July.

Today, Josh and Valerie Queen are partners in love and life. The former employees at Fitness on Fourth recently opened The Gym at 1701 N. Fourth.

The owners and personal trainers already have 125 clients, ranging in age from 8 to 89. They work with seasoned powerlifters, folks trying to slim down, beef up, become stronger, faster and even jump higher.

"A family can come in here, we have something for everybody," Valerie said.

Read more from the original source:
Josh and Valerie Queen: Welcome to The Gym

Whether or not a vegetarian diet is healthy is a toss up. Published March 10, 2012 at 5:18 a.m.

The term "vegetarian," in most cases, is a misnomer because the term means a "plant-based diet" and people who refrain from meat eating usually consume more than vegetables. And yet, many people embrace the word, so much so that for some, it becomes a part of their identity.

"Vegetarians" also serves as a catch-all phrase for people with very different diets. The strictest vegetarians are vegans those who do not eat any foods that come from an animal including meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and eggs. A lacto-vegetarian includes dairy products in their diets; a pesco-vegetarian sometimes referred to as a "pescatarian" eats fish and dairy products; and finally, semi-vegetarians eat primarily a meat-free diet but will "cheat" a little and either occasionally eat meat or consume, for example, beans made with animal lard or vegetable soups made with chicken stock.

Like all diets, a vegetarian diet is only healthy if people follow the rules of a nutritionally-balanced diet which includes the nutrients that one might miss by giving up animal foods. A vegetarian diet can be unhealthy if the diet consists of lots of starches and if meat items are simply replaced with soy foods.

Mary Paul is a nutritional consultant and personal trainer currently living in Minneapolis. She says people should listen to their bodies, experiment with different diets and above all, don't commit to a diet based on philosophical beliefs alone.

"If a person finds the meat industry problematic, jumping into a vegetarian lifestyle is only the right choice if it feels right," she says. "Giving your body what it needs to function properly is the most important key to a satisfying life. Everything else needs to come second."

For some, the vegetarian diet just doesn't work and they fall into the category that's sometimes, lightheartedly, called "reformed vegetarians."

Katie Cross was a vegetarian for six years, but jokingly refers to herself as having been a "Boca-tarian." She says she ate Boca products (soy burgers, "chicken" patties and sausages) almost every day of her life because she didn't like most vegetables and wanted to avoid cheese, which is high in fat. However, when she started having severe stomach aches and bloating, she did some research and realized her high soy intake was not healthy, nor was she eating a balanced diet, so she started eating turkey and fish.

"I felt a lot better," she says. "Once again, moderation is the key. I really thought I was 'being healthy' by not eating meat."

Anne Maedke, a chiropractor, was a vegetarian for several years, but she says it simply did not feel like the right diet. She says having access to well-raised meat helped her make the decision to become a carnivore again.

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"Reformed vegetarians" speak out

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