Male infertility: lifestyle factors and holistic, complementary, and alternative therapies.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
weight reduction by diet and exercise | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | sufficient literature to support | #1 |
smoking cessation | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | sufficient literature to support | #2 |
alcohol moderation | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | sufficient literature to support | #3 |
aescin | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | demonstrated positive effects | #4 |
coenzyme Q 10 | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | demonstrated positive effects | #5 |
glutathione | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | demonstrated positive effects | #6 |
Korean red ginseng | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | demonstrated positive effects | #7 |
L-carnitine | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | demonstrated positive effects | #8 |
nigella sativa | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | demonstrated positive effects | #9 |
omega-3 | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | demonstrated positive effects | #10 |
selenium | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | demonstrated positive effects | #11 |
combination of zinc and folate | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | demonstrated positive effects | #12 |
Menevit antioxidant | increase | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | demonstrated positive effects | #13 |
Vitamin C | no change | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | no support for the use | #14 |
Vitamin E | no change | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | no support for the use | #15 |
saffron | no change | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | no support for the use | #16 |
Chinese herbal medications | neutral | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | data are sparse or inconclusive | #17 |
acupuncture | neutral | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | data are sparse or inconclusive | #18 |
mind-body practice | neutral | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | data are sparse or inconclusive | #19 |
scrotal cooling | neutral | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | data are sparse or inconclusive | #20 |
faith-based healing | neutral | male fertility | male infertility patients | - | data are sparse or inconclusive | #21 |
While we may be comfortable with an allopathic approach to male infertility, we are also responsible for knowledge about lifestyle modifications and holistic, complementary, and alternative therapies that are used by many of our patients. This paper provides an evidence-based review separating fact from fiction for several of these therapies. There is sufficient literature to support weight reduction by diet and exercise, smoking cessation, and alcohol moderation. Supplements that have demonstrated positive effects on male fertility on small randomized controlled trial (RCT) include aescin, coenzyme Q 10 , glutathione, Korean red ginseng, L-carnitine, nigella sativa, omega-3, selenium, a combination of zinc and folate, and the Menevit antioxidant. There is no support for the use of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, or saffron. The data for Chinese herbal medications, acupuncture, mind-body practice, scrotal cooling, and faith-based healing are sparse or inconclusive.