A healthy lifestyle promotes fertility
The benefits of regular physical activity on our cardiovascular system are well-known. In addition to helping us maintain a healthy weight, it also contributes in keeping normal cholesterol levels.
Recent studies carried out by several researchers also show that the habit of performing moderate physical exercise on a daily basis also helps men to improve semen quality.
However, such statement should be handled with care. Other studies mention that the quality of sperm of elite athletes who trained an average of nine times a week for several years had less than 10% normal sperm count, a percentage reduced down to 4% in athletes who ran more than 300 km a week.
Not only physical activity helps improving the quality of sperm, a balanced diet is also essential for fertility.
In men, an excess of consumption of fatty meats and whole milk products associated with low consumption of fruits, vegetables and fish negatively affects the quality of semen. On the other hand, a diet rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C present in many fruits and vegetables, zinc present in fish, folic acid found in pulses and vegetables, and omega 6 and 3 fatty acids present in dried fruits such as nuts, improve the vitality, mobility and morphology of sperm.
In the case of women undergoing assisted reproduction treatments, there are studies that show that those who usually follow a Mediterranean diet, rich in monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil and avocado, are specifically 3.4 times more likely to get pregnant that those who base their diet on saturated fats such as butter and red meat, factory-made cakes and pastries etc, and low intake of fruits and vegetables.
We must also take into account that olive oil, essential in the Mediterranean diet, is a powerful natural antioxidant because of its polyphenol content, which is why it also acts in our organism preventing cardiovascular diseases, helping to control the level of blood sugar, facilitating the absorption of calcium and also taking part in the regulation of cholesterol levels.
