Does red meat affect male fertility?

ConclusionThis study of a cohort of men attending a fertility clinic for help to conceive found fertilisation rates in the laboratory during IVF were less successful if men reported a diet high in processed meat, and more successful if they ate more chicken. Importantly, the effect of overall meat intake was not related to fertility success, which is the chance of becoming pregnant after the treatment cycles, or having a live birth. It was also not clear whether the variation in fertility rate influenced how many cycles of IVF were needed, or how long the couple needed medical assistance, before they became pregnant or had a child. If more IVF cycles were needed, this would be more expensive, especially if people are paying for private fertility treatment.So what does this mixed bag of results tell us? It does not tell us processed meat causes lower fertility or chicken boosts it. That could be true, but there could be lots of reasons why the individual couples at the fertility clinic had difficulty conceiving – not all related to male fertility.Also, the amount of processed meat men eat could be a marker of how generally healthy their diet is, or how healthy they are in general, both of which may influence sperm development and fertility. The researchers did attempt to account for this in their analysis, but this might not completely eliminate the effects. Other relevant factors, such as smoking, have not been taken into account.The researchers say they previously found a ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Pregnancy/child Source Type: news