Eating nuts ‘improves sperm fertility by 25pc’

EATING two handfuls of nuts each day may improve men’s fertility by a quarter.

Experts say nuts, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and folate, significantly improve the size, shape and swimming ability of sperm, all known to influence the chances of conception.

For 14 weeks researchers monitored 119 men aged 18 to 35. Half ate a normal Western diet with 60g of mixed almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts, while the other group ate a normal Western diet without nuts.

Those who added the nuts to their diet had a 16 per cent higher sperm count, their sperm vitality was improved by 4 per cent and motility – swimming ability – by 6 per cent. The shape also improved by 1 per cent, the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Barcelona was told.