We bet you’ve heard the news linking high LDL cholesterol and saturated fat intake (greasy cheeseburgers and premium ice cream) to low sperm counts — while good-fat foods like fish and walnuts are associated with a bigger, better baby-making squad. Our favorite headline (kudos to Maine’s Bangor Daily News) says it all: “Sperm goes limp with fatty foods, while fish perks them up.” But don’t stop there. If you’re a man concerned about fertility (or a spouse hoping for a baby soon), we have a do-it-yourself male fertility improvement plan.
Healthy sperm and a robust sperm count improve your odds that a single sperm will survive its ultra-marathon journey and meet an eligible egg. And sperm have different functions. Some act like blockers to stop other sperm, which makes “survival of the fittest” sense for animals with multiple mates during rutting season, while others are sprinters designed to beat a path to the egg. More than half of a guy’s sperm are the sprinter/swimmer type, and those oval heads need to be strong enough to break through an egg’s tough outer layer.
