Table of contents:
- Uncover the benefits of vitamin D to improve sperm quality
- What does vitamin D have to do with sperm quality?
- What are the food sources of vitamin D that are good for male sperm?
Healthy sperm is the key to fertility for men. Men whose sperm count, shape and quality are not optimal tend to have difficulty having children. So, how do you improve sperm quality? Do you have to use drugs or just use IVF? Eits, wait a minute. From now on, try to eat more healthy foods to reap the benefits of vitamin D. Why is that?
Uncover the benefits of vitamin D to improve sperm quality
You already know that the most important benefits of vitamin D are maintaining healthy teeth and bones. Good news for you men, the benefits of vitamin D can also increase sperm 'swimming' movement so that it is easier to reach the egg.
This is evidenced by a study from the journal Human Reproduction involving 300 young adult men from Germany in 2007. After testing the levels of vitamin D in the blood, as many as 44 percent of men found to have vitamin D deficiency (less than 50 nanomoles). They were then given an active vitamin D serum named 1,25 (OH) 2D3 and sperm motility was observed.
Experts found that men who were deficient in vitamin D (less than 25 nanomoles) tended to have less perfect sperm shape and sluggish movement, compared to men whose vitamin D levels were more than 75 nanomoles.
When serum vitamin D was added to the sperm sample, sperm motility tended to increase by as much as 7 percent. In addition, the benefits of vitamin D can also increase the acrosome reaction in sperm, namely the ability to penetrate the egg.
What does vitamin D have to do with sperm quality?
The addition of serum vitamin D was found to be effective in increasing intracellular calcium concentrations in human sperm cells. This intracellular calcium stimulates faster and optimal sperm movement. The higher the intracellular calcium concentration, the faster the movement of male sperm.
Male sperm is also known to contain vitamin D receptors. The more vitamin D that enters the body, the more vitamin D will be absorbed by the sperm. Indirectly, the condition of your sperm will be much better and of better quality.
Vice versa. Men who are deficient in vitamin D tend to have less sperm and plus they are slow moving. For those of you who experience it, this research is certainly a breath of fresh air for you to improve sperm quality with vitamin D.
However, low vitamin D and sperm count in men are not solely due to vitamin D deficiency alone. This can be caused by many things, starting from the production time of sperm cells that are too long (70 to 80 days), low vitamin D receptors in sperm cells, lack of calcium intake, or unhealthy lifestyle factors. So, further research is still needed to prove it.
What are the food sources of vitamin D that are good for male sperm?
There are many ways you can do to reap the benefits of vitamin D for improving sperm quality. The easiest way is to spend 15-20 minutes basking in the morning sun to get enough vitamin D. However, this also depends on where you live and what type of skin you have.
In addition, you can also get vitamin D through various food sources of vitamin D in the form of:
- Milk
- Egg yolk
- Beef liver
- Cod liver oil
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Tuna
- Mackerel
- Shrimp
- Vitamin D fortified cereals
You can also take vitamin D supplements, especially if you have a severe enough vitamin D deficiency. But remember, first consult your doctor and ask for the right supplement dosage for your health condition.
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