Are You Half The Man Your Father Was?

It is a well-known fact that sperm counts have dropped by half in last 50 years, and that modern men have 20 percent less semen volume than their fathers (BMJ, 1992, volume 305).

A recent report from researchers in Aberdeen presented preliminary data that suggests sperm concentration of men seen in their clinic had declined by 29% over past 14 years. (British Fertility Society; 5 January 2004)

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and endocrine-disrupting chemicals from normal, everyday plastics are known to cause reproductive damage, as documented in Theo Colborn's book "Our Stolen Future."

Damage to sperm caused by exposure to common chemicals like alcohol, pesticides in food, has been linked to lowered intelligence and behavioral disorders in children.

Lifestyle risk factors known to decrease sperm quality include

> Cigarette smoking > Alcohol consumption > Chronic stress > Nutritional deficiencies.

Other reasons for infertility include congenital factors, and health conditions like prostatitis and diabetes that can affect sperm production.

Pollution is stealing our future, and there's little anyone can do to avoid it. There may not be a lot you can do to reduce your exposure to persistent environmental toxins.

But there are definite measures you can take to reduce impact of environmental pollutants and toxins on your body.

You can prevent and, to a certain extent, repair damage they cause to your body, through a better lifestyle and nutrition.

Some nutritional therapies and antioxidants that have proven beneficial in treating male infertility and improving sperm counts, sperm morphology and motility include:

> Carnitine > Arginine > Zinc > Selenium > Vitamin B-12 > Vitamin C > Vitamin E > Glutathione > Coenzyme Q10

Studies show that anti-oxidant supplementation - glutathione in particular - can improve sperm quality, and possibly increase your chances of conceiving.

If you smoke, drink, are exposed to stress, chemicals, radiation, pesticides or take medication or drugs (like sulfasalazine, ketoconazole, azulfidine, anabolic steroids, marijuana) that affect fertility, you should consider taking an antioxidant supplement to reverse some of damage.

Why are Antioxidants Important for Sperm Quality?

Mammalian spermatozoa are coated by a membrane rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids are extremely susceptible to oxidative damage by free radicals or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) by a process called lipid peroxidation (LPO).

Lipid peroxidation damages sperm cell membrane. It is considered to be key mechanism of ROS-induced sperm damage and leads to

> Loss of sperm motility > Abnormal sperm morphology > Reduced capacity for oocyte penetration > Infertility

To protect sperm from damage, body depends on powerful antioxidant enzymes in body such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase/reductase (GPX/GRD).

We also recognize this person's natural tendencies -- to get bored on a strict diet, to cheat time and time again, to come close to giving up. Our Fat Burning Index ™ approach allows you to have any food.

"ANY food? So can I eat all I want?"

We promise that as long as you eat foods we suggest, you will never count calories. You might want to ask: "So what's new? This is exactly what all low carb diets promise, don't they?"

Right. But we go much further. We promise that you will not count carbohydrates, fats, or protein. If you find a single diet, online or offline, that frees its dieters from that much counting, let us know and we'll cheerfully refund your money and send you a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate. Does this sound too good to be true?

You might be doubtful and chances are that mainstream diets are reason. Of course you couldn't avoid opinions like below Q&A posted by Health Care Reality Check:

Q: Can a person eat unlimited calories, and still lose weight, as long as they severely restrict carbohydrates?

A: No, she can not. The basis of ketogenic diets, such as Atkins Diet, is a severe restriction of carbohydrate calories, which simply causes a net reduction in total calories. Since carbohydrate calories are limited, intake of fat usually increases. This high fat diet causes ketosis (increased blood ketones from fat breakdown), which suppresses hunger, and thus contributes to caloric restriction. -- Ellen Coleman, RD, MA, MPH

Is this a correct answer?

Let's first discuss whether it's a correct question. Or, rather, is this real question so frequently asked by dieters. In my experience, this in fact sounds a little bit different but this makes ALL difference. This is what real dieters ask:

Q: Can low carb dieters eat all they want, and still lose weight as long as they only eat allowed foods?

A: Yes, they can. The basis of ketogenic diets, such as Atkins Diet, is a restriction of carbohydrate-containing foods in favor of fat and protein containing foods, which causes state of ketosis resulting in significant decrease in appetite. Since appetite decreases, most of low carb dieters consume significantly less calories WITHOUT INTENTIONAL CALORIE RESTRICTION.

Let's see why and how it happens