Eating nuts could boost male fertility: study

Eating two handfuls of nuts a day could help boost male fertility, according to a new study.

Researchers from Monash University have found men who included two servings of nuts in their diet experienced improved sperm quality.

The findings were published in the journal Advances in Nutrition on Monday and analysed two clinical trials that gave 223 healthy men aged between 13 to 35 years old at least two handfuls of nuts each day.

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In one trial participants ate 75 grams of whole-shelled walnuts everyday for 12 weeks.

Males who participated in the second trial ate 30 grams of walnuts, 14 grams of almonds and 15 grams of hazelnuts each day for 14 weeks.

Lead author Barbara Cardoso said the high concentration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, dietary fibres, vitamins, minerals and polyphenols found in nuts could improve men's reproductive health.

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"We're speaking of either raw or roasted nuts," Cardoso said.

"I'd avoid salted or sweetened nuts as salt and sugar can be associated with different health issues such as hypertension and insulin resistance."

Cardoso is from Monash University's Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food and has studied nuts for over a decade.

She said the findings were encouraging and warranted further studies on the benefits of nuts on fertility.

"The implications of these findings are of great value to people trying to conceive, but we also need studies to assess the effects of nuts on female fertility," she said.

"We would advocate for more male and female studies to strengthen the results."