Médecine de la Reproduction
MENUNutrition and reproduction: the male contribution Volume 13, issue 4, Octobre-Décembre 2011
Authors
Nathalie Sermondade, Céline Faure, Charlotte Dupont, Serge Hercberg, Sébastien Czernichow, Rachel Lévy
Hôpital Jean-Verdier (AP-HP),
services d’histologie, d’embryologie, de cytogénétique et de biologie de la reproduction,
CECOS,
93140 Bondy,
France, Université Paris-13, CRNH IdF,
unité de recherche en epidémiologie nutritionnelle,
UMR U557 Inserm ; U1125 Inra ; Cnam,
93017 Bobigny,
France, Hôpital Avicenne (AP-HP),
département de santé publique,
93017 Bobigny,
France, Hôpital Ambroise-Paré (AP-HP),
unité de nutrition,
92100 Boulogne-Billancourt,
France
- Key words: male infertility, nutrition, obesity, oxidative stress
- DOI : 10.1684/mte.2011.0372
- Page(s) : 240-5
- Published in: 2011
Infertility affects about 15% of couples seeking to obtain a pregnancy. In 20 to 50% of the cases, a deficiency in sperm quality or a male factor is observed. In more than 15% of cases, the causes of infertility remain unknown. Many factors, related to lifestyle or environment, may influence male fertility by leading to deleterious quantitative or qualitative effects on sperm. Among them, a recent and growing interest is put on weight and nutritional status of male partners of infertile couples. Oxidative stress plays a key-role in the involved mechanisms. An unbalanced pro-oxidants/antioxidants ratio, notably due to inadequate dietary intakes, can have deleterious consequences for male fertility.