Sunday Sept 29, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Chinese scientists published a study in Lipids in Health and Disease suggesting that high intake of omega-3 fatty acids is important for men to produce healthy sperm.

Prior research has generated evidence showing that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are beneficial for the reproduction of male animals and the ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids is considered important for fertility or reproductivity.

The current study focused on the effect of the ratio of n-3 to n-6 PUFA on the reproductive performance of male rats.  In the study, 80 male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were fed diets with different n-3/n-6 PUFA ratios (0.13, 0.40, 0.85, 1.52 and 2.85) for two months.  Then half were sacrificed and another half were chosen to mate with female rats to see their reproductive performance.

Rats on the diet with the n-3 to n-6 ratio of 1.52 produced higher sperm concentrations and better sperm motility, and this group of rats had better testis and better morphology of sperm compared with rats on diets with different ratios of omega 3 fatty acids to omega 6 fatty acids.

Rats fed on the diet with the ratio of 1.52 produced larger litter size and their offspring had higher birth weights.

The ratio of omega 3 fatty acids to omega 6 fatty acids was found also to affect reproductive hormone levels, significantly.

The authors concluded "These findings demonstrated that a balanced n-3/n-6 ratio was important in male rat reproduction.  Therefore, there is a necessity to determine an appropriate n-3/n-6 PUFA ratio in man and different male animals in the future."

The ratio of 1.52 is high and most people cannot have such a ratio most because they eat too little omega-3 fatty acids and too much omega-6 fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in cold water fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseed and eggs while omega-6 fatty acids are commonly seen in vegetable oils.  Omega-3 fatty acids are available as a dietary supplement.