Have you Considered Seafood when Optimising Sperm Health?

Posted on :  October 1, 2020
Have you Considered Seafood when Optimising Sperm Health

by Ashleigh Feltham
Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist

If you and your partner have decided to start or grow your family, you have likely considered the importance of the role of nutrition of the woman. What you may not know is the importance of optimal health of the man in the partnership for the success of pregnancy and health of your future child.

Sperm take around 64 days or 2 months to mature. This provides you with the window you need to provide your body with optimal health and nutrition to support the development of your sperm. Here are three key nutrients that can help optimise both the overall and sperm health of men:

1. Zinc

This mineral is important for a man’s overall health as well as vital for sperm function. You can find zinc in foods such as Safcol Seafood, meat, pumpkin seeds, and dairy.

2. Folate

A B vitamin which plays a role in DNA synthesis and repair. Research has shifted from recommending a supplemental form of folate towards recommending whole foods. You can find folate in avocado, green leafy vegetables, lentils, oranges, and kiwi fruit.

3. Omega-3 Fat

Research has shown that couples who eat more foods which are sources of omega-3 fat conceive more quickly compared to those without this essential fat. The exact reasons are yet to be determined but it is wise to include this fat regularly in your diet for overall health not just to optimise your fertility.

Omega 3 fat can be found in chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts but the best source able to be used by your body can be found in fatty fish like salmon and sardines. Both fish can be sourced from the quality products of Safcol Seafood.

Other factors

Antioxidants included in a diet rich in Zinc, Folate and Omega 3 fats, is recommended for optimal health. Antioxidants present in food groups such as the antioxidants in salmon within the lean meat foods group can help to eliminate free radicals. Free radicals can cause damage and disease to the cells of your body including sperm cells. If you are seeking a diet, then the Mediterranean Diet has been shown to be the winner in terms of maximising sperm health.

Key factors to avoid include smoking, minimise, or abstain from alcohol and exercising in a manner which overheats the testes is not recommended. This overheating may harm the sperm inside the testes which are required to be kept at within a temperature range for health.

Take home message

When it comes to growing your family and creating the healthiest child possible it really does take two to tango. Optimising sperm health is important so take these strategies on board to be in the best shape possible for when you create another life.

Not only is Safcol the Seafood Experts tuna lunchbox friendly, but it also tastes delicious, and boasts some amazing health benefits! Tuna contains Omega-3 fats that are an unsaturated form of fat called polyunsaturated. These types of fats cannot be made by the body, so we need to include them as part of our diet to stay healthy. For good health, you need omega-3 fats in our diet, particularly the type which comes from fish and seafood because it contains two acids known as docosahexaenoic acid or DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA. These two acids are linked to better health for your body particularly for your brain and heart.