Nutrients Improve Reproductive and Heart Health in Men
Lycopene lowered inflammation and improved blood flow
Blood vessels have an inner lining called the
endothelium which may become inflamed, stiffened, and more likely to form clots.
In this study, 126 healthy men, average age 34 with healthy weight, took 6 mg
of lycopene or 15 mg of lycopene per day, or a placebo . After eight weeks,
compared to the start of the study, while there were no significant changes in
the low-dose or placebo groups, men who took 15 mg of lycopene had much higher
antioxidant levels, less DNA damage, better blood pressure flow and lower
systolic blood pressure, lower levels of C-reactive protein–an inflammatory
factor–and an increase in the size of LDL-cholesterol particles, making them
less likely to stick to artery walls and form plaque .
In discussing their findings, doctors said
supplementing to raise lycopene levels in the blood can reduce oxidative stress
and improve the health and function of the endothelium blood vessel linings .
Vitamin D improves reproductive health
Doctors said when animals are deficient in
vitamin D, sperm counts and sperm motility are low. In this study, researchers
measured vitamin D levels in 40 men and found that those with 75 nanomoles of
vitamin D per liter of blood (nmol/L) had much higher sperm motility compare to
men with 25 nmol/L or less. Motility is the ability of sperm to move properly
toward the egg. As levels of vitamin D increased, more of the sperm were
motile, and had normal structure, shape, and size .
Reference: Human Reproduction; 2011, Vol. 26,
No. 6, 1307-17
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