We all know that sperm are necessary for creating another human being, but sometimes they don’t get enough credit for their role. Maybe it is because the woman is the one who is responsible for carrying a new child within her body for the first months of its life. The reality is though, half of the genetic code of a child is carried within a man’s sperm. There are many interesting facts about sperm that can help a person recognize how important they are to creating a healthy child. Take some time to appreciate the role they play in creating life.
1. Sperm Responds to the Food a Man Eats
Several studies reveal that a man’s sperm responds and is impacted by what he eats. What a man eats daily plays a very important role in the health of their sperm.
DHA found in Omega-3 essential fatty acid, found in foods like Alaskan wild salmon and cod liver oil, has been shown to play a critical role in proper formation of sperm. A study published in The Journal of Biology and Reproduction, 2011, found that DHA can improve sperm morphology. A round-headed sperm can become a healthy, cone shaped head, full of important egg-opening enzymes once again, when DHA levels are increased. DHA also plays a role in sperm motility. An increase in DHA levels was shown to play a role in the fluidity for sperm tail bending and flexing required for forward movement of sperm.
Another study showed that men who consumed 3 or more cups of coffee per day had reduced sperm concentration and total sperm count, as well as lower sperm quality.
Vitamin C has been shown to improve sperm quality and protect sperm from DNA damage; helping to reduce the chance of miscarriage and chromosomal problems. Vitamin C also appears to keep sperm from clumping together, making them more motile.
Another study, published by Fertility and Sterility, 11/10/2011, showed that men who ate more whole grain cereals (wheat, barley, oats) had high sperm concentration and motility. The same study showed that consumption of fresh fruit gave sperm a boost in speed and agility.
2. Men Need to Regularly Climax for Healthy Sperm
Infrequent ejaculation or sexual abstinence can lead to oxidative stress due to reduction in semen turn-over. This means that the sperm stay in the gonads longer and therefore are exposed to reactive oxygen species, leukocytes or other toxic substances which can damage them. One study showed that men who ejaculated 4 or more times per month, had better sperm morphology.
3. Sperm are Susceptible to Damage from Wireless Technology
In 2012, Fertility and Sterility published findings of a study on the impact of wireless devices such as laptop computers and mobile phones. Researchers wanted to find out if laptop computers Wi-Fi connection played a role in decreasing sperm health alone. In the past it was believed that the heat alone from a laptop computer may cause adverse effects to sperm health, but this new study shows that laptop computers connected to the internet through Wi-Fi damaged sperm through a non-thermal effect.
Scientists have suggested this may be due to radiofrequency electromagnetic waves (RF-EMW) as free-radicals. Free-radicals cause oxidative damage to our cells, including sperm and female eggs. Free-radical damage may cause sperm immotility, cell death and lower the integrity of the DNA. It appears men should avoid holding laptops directly on their laps, and keep cell phones away from pant pockets.
4. Progesterone Gives Sperm Extra Energy to Penetrate the Egg
Considering the size of sperm, they have a great journey to meet up with the female egg in the fallopian tube. One can imagine the incredible energy that must be used for this journey. That is only half the battle for a sperm to create life though. Once to the egg, also known as the ova, they work to penetrate it. Whipping their tails frantically seems like it would be very tiring, but that is where progesterone comes in. Sperm gets a boost of energy from a burst of female progesterone
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