High Dairy Intake Interferes With Semen Quality

Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that young men with a high dairy intake produce lower-quality sperm. In a study led by researcher Myriam Afeiche, examiners looked at 189 men aged 18 to 22 years recruited for the 2009 to 2010 Rochester Young Men’s Study, and found that the percentage of men with morphologically normal sperm decreased as they upped their daily intake of full-fat dairy foods such as milk, cheese, and cream. Specifically, men who consumed 1.3 to 7.5 servings per day had 2.7 percent lower morphologically normal sperm compared to men who consumed zero to 1.2 servings per day. Previously, a 2009 study linked antioxidant-rich plant-based foods to improved sperm strength.