Nutrition and reproduction
antioxidant therapy in male infertility

Galina Nenkova¹, Rossen Stefanov², Dimitrina Kacheva² , Paulina Taushanova², Boyko Georgiev², Albena Alexandrova^1,3
 

¹Laboratory of Free Radical Processes, INB-BAN,
²Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction Acad. "Kiril Bratanov“
³National Sports Academy “Vassil Levski”

Keywords: antioxidants, infertility, nutrition

Recent years the problem of infertility is becoming more and more actual. According to official statistics, in Bulgaria the number of childless couples is about 270 000, i.e. almost every 6-th family is directly affected. Pooled data show that worldwide between 3 -7 % of all couples have infertility lasting problem (WHO, 2010) and this number will increase in future. The existing data show that in many of infertility cases, the cause of sterility is disabled sperm, resulting from the oxidative stress (OS). There are several sources of reactive oxygen species in sperm. A range of strategies for sperm prevention of OS are developed. They include changes in living habits, reduction and cessation of smoking, change of dietary regime, directed to intake of foods rich in antioxidants, incl. vitamins and minerals, etc. It is well known that many fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants. Although the relationship between good nutrition and reproduction is well established, accurate scientific studies are scanty. Many researches concern the antioxidants and their impact on sperm function, but there are many contradictions in terms of doses and types of combinations. Future studies should aim to specify the most appropriate diet for resolving each individual problem, because nutritional deficiency has been identified as one factor that may impair the production and function of healthy sperm.