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Most of us have heard or read about how folic acid or folate intake by women just prior to or during pregnancy can helps lower the risk of their neural tube defects such as spina bifida or anencephaly in their offspring. Scientific evidence has now emerged that suggest that men planning on fatherhood should pay heed to their folate intake.

According to a recently published study carried out by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, healthy men who report consuming lower levels of the nutrient folate as part of their diets have higher rates of chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm.

"Recent studies have suggested that paternal diet affects sperm count and motility, which is important for conception, but this new study takes it further to say that male diet may be important for healthy offspring as well," explains study coordinator Suzanne Young, a researcher at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. "Our study is the first to look at the effects of diet on chromosomal abnormalities in sperm. These abnormalities would cause either miscarriages or children with genetic syndromes if the sperm fertilized an egg."

Approximately 1 to 4 percent of a healthy male's sperm have abnormal numbers of chromosomes, or aneuploidy, that are brought about by errors during cell division (meiosis) in the testis. The causes for these errors are not well understood. However, when these abnormal sperm fertilize a normal egg, there would likely either be a miscarriage or a fetus with a chromosomal disorder.

For this study, the UCLA researchers looked closely at three chromosomes (X, Y and chromosome 21) associated with common types of aneuploidy in live births. For example, children born with an extra chromosome 21 have Down syndrome, while boys with an extra X chromosome have Klinefelter syndrome, which could affect language and learning development.

The researchers studied 97 men, ages 22 to 80, who worked at or had retired from a government research laboratory. They excluded smokers and those with previous or existing reproductive or fertility problems.

The men’s daily average intake of dietary and supplemental nutrients, including multi-vitamins, was determined by researchers using detailed participant questionnaires. Semen samples were collected within a week of completing these.

After taking into account things such as age, alcohol use and medical history, the UCLA scientists found that the men reporting the highest intake of folate had 19 percent lower rates of sperm with abnormal numbers of chromosomes than men with moderate folate intake, and 20 percent lower rates compared with men in the low folate intake group.

The researchers found no link between sperm aneuploidy and other nutrients examined, such as zinc, calcium, beta-carotene and other vitamins.

Readers interested in learning about a time-released folate product should check out NUTRACENE

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Reference: University of California - Berkeley (2008, March 20). Genetic Abnormalities In Sperm Linked To Dietary Folate Intake, Study Shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 20, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/03/080319193036.htm