"If you aspire to fatherhood it might not hurt to go a little nuts. Walnuts that is. Eating . ounces of walnuts a day  a little more than half a cup  for  weeks improved sperm https quality in healthy young men researchers report. Their study is part of a growing body of evidence that mens dietary and lifestyle choices might affect their fertility https The new study funded in part by the California Walnut Commission enrolled  men aged  to  who ate a typical Western diet. Half the men were randomly assigned to eat . ounces of walnuts a day along with their usual diet. The other men were told to continue their regular diet but not to eat any tree nuts. Walnuts are the only nuts with appreciable levels of omega fatty acids which some studies of male infertility https have linked to better sperm quality says researcher Wendie Robbins PhD of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Animal and human studies have shown that omega fats and other polyunsaturated fatty acids play critical roles in sperm maturation and membrane function Robbins team writes. Previous research has shown that men with poor sperm counts saw improvement after taking fish oil https supplements https high in omega fats Robbins says. And a study of men attending a fertility clinic published in May by the journal Human Reproduction found that high intake of omega fats was linked to more normal sperm size and shape while high intake of saturated fats https was related to lower sperm concentration. In the new study most of the walnut eaters snacked on the shelled whole nuts straight out of the package Robbins says. Others mixed them with applesauce and cinnamon https in a blender or chopped them up and added them to meatloaf hamburger and spaghetti sauce. Before and after the experiment the mens semen quality was analyzed by a researcher who did not know which ones had eaten walnuts. The researcher looked at sperm concentration vitality ability to move shape and size and chromosome abnormalities all thought to be related to fertility. Walnuts and Sperm Quality At the end of the week study sperm quality improved only in the men in the walnut group. And the walnut eaters whose sperm were the worst swimmers at the beginning of the study saw the biggest improvement at the end Robbins says. In up to half of couples having difficulty getting pregnant https at least part of the problem is related to male reproductive issues according to the American Urological Association. Whether adding walnuts to the diet will improve mens chances of fathering children remains to be seen but it couldnt hurt says Robbins who next plans to study walnuts effect on the sperm of men with reproductive issues. I would say that its time that we pay more attention to what the male eats around the time of conception https Robbins says. Robbins study appears online in the journal Biology of Reproduction. I think this highlights how important dietary factors are in promoting fertility health says John Petrozza MD director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center. He was not involved with the study. What has yet to be determined is the optimal amount of walnuts for improving sperm quality he says. This will come out with future papers. For now the idea is to eat healthy with a varied diet."