He's Fit

Click here for the Lead Stories

Trying to Conceive? Eat More Folate

Posted March 27, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Megan Hueter

Section: In The News, His Health, Physical Health, Lifestyle Health, His Nutrition, Healthy Eating

It’s easy to say that women can do a myriad of things to assist in their ability to conceive children. Folate (called folic acid in supplement form) is well-known as a recommended nutrient for women of childbearing age due to its ability to reduce the chances of neural tube defects in babies. Latest research is now showing that it may help men, too.

A recent article published in WebMD discussed a study that found that men who had diets rich in folate or who took folic acid were less likely to have sperm with a chromosomal abnormality called aneuploidy. Though the defect was rare in general, it was up to 30% less common in men who had high levels of folate in their diet.

The study doesn’t prove that folate or folic acid prevents aneuploidy. More studies are needed to confirm the findings. However, if you’re interested, you can find folate in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, beans, peas (including black-eyed peas), and fruits (including citrus fruits and juices). Folic acid is added to enriched breads, cereals, flours, corn meals, pastas, rice, and other grain products.

Research sources and for more information: [WebMD]; [picture]

Comment on this post | Permalink | Share this article

Tags: aneuploidy, beans, black-eyed peas, breads, cereals, citrus fruits, corn meals, defect, diet, flours, folate, folic acid, grain products, joices, nutrition, pastas, peas, rate, rice, spinach

Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!

0 Responses to “Trying to Conceive? Eat More Folate” (Leave a reply)