[eng] Dietary habits have worsened in the past years due to industrialization and food
processing. Although there is limited information on the exact intake of today's
individuals, it is evident that dietary trends are increasing the risk of obesity. Alongside
this dietary decline, there has been a significant decrease in human sperm quality with
sperm concentration and count dropping by about 50-60% in the past 40 years, raising
concerns about the future of human fertility.
This study aimed to compile and analyze existing evidence on the relationship between
various dietary patterns and sperm quality and reproductive hormones in men. It
includes interventional and observational studies from 2010 to the present that examined
these relationships. A comprehensive systematic search was held according to PRISMA
guidelines using the MEDLINE-PubMed database. All articles were assessed for quality
following NIH "Quality Assessment Tool" guidelines. Meta-analysis results were
expressed as mean differences (MDs) with 95% CIs.
A total of 27 articles, comprising data from 21,841 adult men, were included in the
qualitative analysis. The findings indicated a positive association between healthy
dietary patterns and testicular function. Of these, only 9 articles were included in the
meta-analysis, as they used a priori dietary patterns as exposure. The results suggest a
statistically significant positive association between the Mediterranean Diet and sperm
total motility, progressive motility, and normal morphology.