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The old adage “we are what we eat” received further support this week, and may even suggest “we are what our parents ate” when a new study by researchers in the US revealed that healthy men who have a diet low in folate have a higher risk of chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm. Chromosomal abnormalities in sperm are known to cause a range of congenital conditions such as Down sydrome and learning and development disorders.
The study is the work of scientists at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and is published in the 19th March issue of the journal Human Reproduction.
Women of childbearing age are encouraged to maintain a healthy intake of folate because it is essential for healthy fetal development, and to prevent neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida or anencephaly (severe type of brain damage). That is why folic acid is now added to bread, cereal, flour and other grain products in the US.
But this is the first study to suggest that folate intake in men may affect their children.
Researcher at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and coordinator of the study, Suzanne Young, said:
“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.”
Young said their study was the first to examine 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,” explained Young.
The researchers said that about 1 to 4 per cent of healthy male sperm has an abnormal number of chromosomes, or aneuploidy. These abnormalities arise when cells divide (meiosis) in the testis, but their cause is not well understood.
If an aneuploidic sperm fertilizes a normal egg, the fetus would either miscarry or develop a chromosomal disorder, such as trisomy, where cells have three copies of each chromosome instead of the more usual two (one from each parent).
In this study the investigators looked at three chromosomes linked with common types of aneuploidy in live births: X, Y and chromosome 21. Down syndrome, for example, is caused by having an extra chromosome 21. Klinefelter syndrome, which can affect language and learning development, is caused by an extra X chromosome in boys, and boys carrying an extra Y chromosome have XYY syndrome, also linked to learning and behavioral difficulties.
The participants were 97 non-smoking men with no previous history of reproductive or fertility problems. The aged from 22 to 80 and were either still working at or had retired from a government research laboratory.
The men filled in questionnaires about their diet and supplements like multi-vitamins and other nutrients. Semen samples were taken up to a week later.
After taking out the effects of age, alcohol and medical history, the results showed that men who reported the highest folate intake had a 19 per cent lower rate of aneuploidic sperm that men with moderate folate intake, and 20 per cent lower than men with the lowest folate intake.
The analysis did not show any links between aneuploidy and other nutrients such as zinc, calcium, beta-carotene and other vitamins, said the researchers, who concluded that:
“Men with high folate intake had lower overall frequencies of several types of aneuploid sperm.”
Co-principal investigator of the study, professor of epidemiology and maternal and child health at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, Brenda Eskenazi, said:
“”The emphasis related to the birth of a healthy baby has been weighted towards the health and diet of women, not just during pregnancy, but before.”
“What we’re finding now is that a nutritious diet, specifically folate intake, may be beneficial for men as well when it comes to producing healthy offspring,” she added.
Folate, which occurs naturally in a range of foods such as liver, leafy green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils and citrus fruits, is a water soluble vitamin of the B group.
Folate is essential for DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and the development of new cells. It also helps to control homocysteine, an amino acid that has been linked to heart disease.
But before men hoping to become dads rush out to buy folic acid or start maxing out on lentils, they should take note, as the researchers themselves suggested, that this study only found a link between folate and healthy sperm, it did not establish for certain that there is a cause and effect relationship.
Study co-principal investigator and chair of the Radiation Biosciences Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Andrew Wyrobek, cautioned:
“We can’t yet say that increasing folate in your diet will lead to healthier sperm.”
“But we did come up with enough evidence to justify a larger, clinical and pharmacological trial in men to examine the causal relationships between dietary folate levels and chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm,” added Wyrobek.
This information will help us set dietary folate levels that may reduce the risk of miscarriage or birth defects linked to the fathers,” he said.
If further research supports these findings, the researchers suggest it might be a good idea to increase the current recommended 400 micrograms
Not too long ago someone emailed me and thanked me for the information on the site about weight loss. They told me that they lost 30 pounds by following the info on the site, which is always nice to hear. They then went on to tell me about a weight loss chat room that they go into every once in a while where the people in there didn’t know very much about losing weight. They wanted me to check it out. So, I checked this weight loss chat room out one day and what I saw was pretty bad and actually kind of funny, in pathetic kind of way though. The main subject of this room was of course the almighty question… How do I lose weight? I am going to answer that question for you right now plain and simple and by only using 4 easy words that everyone can understand even if you know nothing about weight loss.
The main thing in this weight loss room that caught my attention was that every once in a while, someone would come in and say that they lost weight. Everyone else in the room would then congratulate them on losing the weight and within the next 5 seconds, EVERYONE in the room would all ask this person one question all at once…. “How did you lose it???” Honestly, I find that question to be extremely funny. I just can’t figure out how anyone can ask that question. Someone loses weight and you ask them how they lost that weight? What kind of stupid question is that? To me that question is just as funny as if someone said “I just got a haircut” and someone asks them “Really? How did your hair get cut off?” The obvious answer is “With scissors.” And the answer to the question “how did you lose weight” is just as simple and as obvious as that… and that is why I find it so funny.
You see, despite the hopes and dreams of many lazy people, there is only one way to lose weight. No, that wasn’t a typo. You can only lose weight 1 way, by doing 1 thing. Here it comes, get your pads and pens ready and write this one down. Here are those 4 simple words that I mentioned before, here is how weight loss happens.
Drum roll please…
If you want to lose weight, you need to “eat right and workout.” There you have it ladies and gentlemen, the 4 simple words. Eat right and workout! That’s it! That is ALL that works!! EVERYTHING else is USELESS! If weight loss and losing weight is your goal, then you just need to eat right and workout and THAT’S IT!!!!
Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 sweet red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
4 green onions , chopped
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil,
Salt and pepper to taste
Makes 8 servings (1 cup each)
Makes 8 servings (1 cup each)Makes 8 servings (1 cup each)
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Now let’s take a look a the basic food elements in your perfect dietary plan; fruits and vegetables group, bread, cereals, rice and past groups, meats and beans group and dairy group. Each has different characteristics or helpful nutritional value for your dietary needs.
Fruits and Vegetables – Fruits have very little if any protein and fat. Instead, they have carbohydrates, generally fruit sugar or fructose and glucose. As Florida commercials tend to announce, fruits offer us vitamins, C and B to be exact, as well as potassium, fiber and other nutrients. While the sugar helps with maintaining blood sugar levels, vitamins and other nutrients help ward off sickness and disease, and fiber is important for waste disposal from the body.
Here is a peek at some fruits and their relationship to the perfect diet.
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