The Role of Antioxidants in Male Infertility

Abstract

Infertility is a global medical concern worldwide, and studies report that male factor infertility contributes to almost half of infertility cases globally. Several different disorders can cause male infertility, including idiopathic oligospermia (low sperm counts, for which a specific treatment remains unknown), complete asthenozoospermia (absence of sperm motility), and isolated asthenozoospermia (low sperm motility, caused by sperm dysfunction, varicocele, infection, or genetic factors). There are studies showing that in male infertility there may be protective effects of dietary sources and supplements and that even it may reverse infertility. Studies show that especially vitamin and antioxidant supplements have positive effects on sperm quality, morphology, motility and count. However, there is no guideline on the useful effect of these supplements. In this review article, the effect of dietary intake of antioxidants and antioxidant supplementation on male infertility was examined.