Q&A on Male Fertility: Do Men Need Folic Acid?

Guys listen up! Your sperm carries 50% of the DNA of your future child. Healthy sperm not only have proper DNA structure, but are higher in number, healthier in size and shape, and abundant in strength and stamina, so they can easily swim to fertilize an egg.

It might be hard to sit here and think about your DNA creating your son or daughter. What’s not hard is to ensure your son or daughter get the best of your DNA. One way to do this is to consume adequate amounts of Folic Acid. Folic Acid isn’t just a woman’s vitamin, men should consider taking it too.

If you’re wondering why, the answer is because Folic acid is a B vitamin that the body uses to make new, healthy cells. Sperm are cells and carry your DNA. Folic acid is necessary in order to produce DNA and works to repair cells damaged by oxidative stress.

The Question: Should men also take folic acid?

The Answer: Yes! Men wishing to increase sperm quality should consider consuming folic acid or folate. In fact, both fertile men and those with male-factor infertility should.

Helping the body create healthier sperm lowers the chances of producing abnormal sperm. Abnormal sperm are cells with chromosomal abnormalities that can lead to male infertility, miscarriage and babies born with birth defects.

In 2008, a study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Human Reproduction that showed “a link between high levels of the nutrient [folic acid] in men’s diets and the genetic quality of their sperm.” Concrete conclusions were not made in that study, but several other articles cite studies concluding that consuming folic acid (over 700 mcg a day) lowers the risk of producing sperm with abnormalities by 20 to 30 percent, including the abnormality called aneuploidy*. Studies also show that normal sperm count is likely to increase from men taking folic acid with zinc.

In order to increase sperm health and quality guys, it is important to commit to reducing your exposure to oxidative stress and eating a Male Fertility Diet filled with:

• folate-rich foods like dark leafy greens, asparagus, citrus fruit, beans and lentils
• antioxidants like vitamins E and C, B12 and Folic Acid
• micronutrients, specifically L-Carnitine, Zinc, Selenium, CoQ10 Ubiquinol

Not all of these nutrients are readily available to the body through food. So, consider supplementing with a whole food men’s multivitamin and/or herbs and nutritional supplements to support normal sperm health.

I know a radical diet change may not happen overnight. Lifestyle change isn’t always realistic, especially when one’s job repeatedly exposes them to oxidative stress. In order to start offering your body and sperm the nutrients they need to become healthier, we have combined important herbs and nutritional supplements in a kit for men. To see them, click here…