Mice Study: Omega-3 DHA Reverses Male Infertility

Filed in archive Drugs, Vaccines and Therapeutics , Other Biotechnology News on April 18, 2010

© D'Arcy Norman

A new mice study suggested that supplementation of omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) may reverse infertility-related sperm abnormalities, thereby boosting male fertility.

Researchers reported in the Journal of Lipid Research: "Mice engineered to lack a gene that codes for an enzyme that helps them produce DHA were found to have fewer sperm and more abnormalities in what little sperm they did have, but such effects were reversed in mice fed DHA".

Omega-3 fatty acids already has a long list of health benefits, including improved heart health, cognitive function, mood and behavior, eyes, joint health, and potentially reducing the risk of some kinds of cancer. Male fertility could be added in this long list once the mice study is backed-up with more studies in humans.

While scientists do further investigation, it will take awhile before fish oil supplements are recommended to help boost male fertility.