Folate good for Sperm

Folate an essential nutrient

A new study finds that Folate intake is linked to genetic
abnormalities in sperm.

BERKELEY – Healthy men who report lower levels of the
nutrient folate in their diets have higher rates of chromosomal
abnormalities in their sperm, according to a new study by
researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Women of child-bearing age are encouraged to maintain
adequate levels of folate in their diet, but the new findings,
to be published Thursday, March 20, in the journal Human
Reproduction, provide evidence that what men eat may also
affect reproductive health.

"Recent studies have suggested that paternal diet affects
sperm count and motility, which is important for conception,
but this new study takes it further to say that male diet may
be important for healthy offspring as well," said study coordinator
Suzanne Young, a researcher at UC Berkeley's School of Public
Health. "Our study is the first to look at the effects of diet on
chromosomal abnormalities in sperm. These abnormalities would
cause either miscarriages or children with genetic syndromes if
the sperm fertilized an egg."

Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in a wide
range of foods, particularly liver, leafy green vegetables, citrus
fruits and legumes. It is needed during the synthesis of DNA, RNA
and proteins, and it is necessary for the production of new cells.
Folate also helps keep in check levels of homocysteine, an amino
acid that, when elevated, is linked to heart disease.

Studies have shown that adequate intake of folate by women
just before and during pregnancy significantly reduces the risk
of neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida or anencephaly.

By Sarah Yang, Media Relations | 19 March 2008
Berkeley Press Release