WASHINGTON - The introduction of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet may help in restoring fertility in males, a new study says.
The three most nutritionally important omega-3 fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

"In our experiment, we used 'knockout' mice that lacked the gene responsible for an enzyme important in making docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)," said Manabu Nakamura, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UI-UC) associate professor of food science and human nutrition.

"In the absence of DHA, male mice are basically infertile, producing few if any misshaped sperm that can’t get where they need to go," said Nakamura.

"We looked at sperm count and shape and tested the breeding success rate, and the mice lacking DHA simply were not able to breed," said Manuel Roqueta-Rivera, UI-UC doctoral student who also worked on the study.

 

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