Omega-3 DHA promotes male fertility

Male fertility: help from Omega 3 DHA

The decline in male fertility caused by sperm abnormalities could be treated by taking the Omega 3 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, genetically engineered mice that lack the enzyme that converts dietary sources of Omega-3 into DHA produce less sperm. Not only that, but their seminal fluid showed a higher-than-normal rate of abnormalities. However, the situation is not irreversible: feeding these engineered mice DHA is enough to prevent these sperm defects.

Sterile mice

The 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 necessary to convert the main plant-based Omega-3 source—alpha-linolenic acid—into DHA. Nakamura explained that without DHA produced from dietary alpha-linolenic acid, male mice are essentially sterile. The little sperm they produce is abnormally shaped and unable to function properly. However, the researchers clarify that DHA is not the only molecule missing in the absence of this enzyme. Other fatty acids—especially arachidonic acid and n6-docosapentaenoic acid—are also absent in these mice. To determine which molecule caused the observed sperm effects, the researchers fed the mice a diet enriched with 0.2% arachidonic acid or DHA. Only the animals receiving DHA had restored fertility. This, the authors explain, means Omega-3s can correct defects in male fertility.

Men and mice

But does this apply to humans? Indeed, a previous study suggests these results could be applicable to male fertility problems in humans. Researchers from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran (Iran) showed that infertile men have reduced levels of Omega-3 in their sperm. The authors of this second study suggest testing the potential benefits of Omega-3 supplementation in infertile men. Biologically, these results make sense because Omega-3 fatty acids are components of sperm membranes.

New hopes

The appearance of sperm in DHA-deficient mice, explains Nakamura, offers clues about the type of pathology caused by the lack of this Omega-3. However, researchers believe further studies are important 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