Nutrition and spermatogenesis

Abstract

Nutritional deficiencies delay the onset of puberty and depress semen production and semen characteristics.  The objective of the present study was to interpret nutrition and spermatogenesis by means of a literature review. The study corresponded to the exploratory research level, and hermeneutics was used to interpret the narrative literature review carried out on studies describing epigenetic mechanisms, especially DNA methylation, histone modification and the role of non-coding RNAs, which can be modulated by nutritional aspects and which are related to the etiology of male infertility and to the transgenerational inheritance of this phenotype. It was found that among the main limiting factors of nutritional origin are vitamins, proteins and minerals.  It was observed that diet and nutrients play a fundamental role in the regulation of the biological processes involved in sperm production. For example, consumption of low-fat dairy is associated with higher sperm concentration and better sperm motility, while consumption of full-fat dairy may be related to a higher incidence of oligozoospermia. It was evidenced that, so far, there are few studies describing the effect of the intake of different types of nutrients on epigenetic modifications and the expression of genes associated with male fertility.  It is concluded that there is a need to contrast public data and illustrate the relationship between the intake of certain nutrients, especially micronutrients and saturated fats, and epigenetic modifications associated with male fertility.