Published May 4, 2023
| Version v1
Journal article
Open
Male reproductive traits are differentially affected by dietary macronutrient balance but unrelated to adiposity
Creators
- 1. University of Sydney
- 2. University of Chicago
- 3. University of Copenhagen
Description
Dietary factors influence male reproductive function in both experimental and epidemiological studies. However, there are currently no specific dietary guidelines for male preconception health. Here, we use the Nutritional Geometry framework to examine the effects of dietary macronutrient balance on reproductive traits in C57BL/6 J male mice. Dietary effects are observed in a range of morphological, testicular and spermatozoa traits, although the relative influence of protein, fat, carbohydrate, and their interactions differ depending on the trait being examined. Interestingly, dietary fat has a positive influence on sperm motility and antioxidant capacity, differing to typical high fat diet studies where calorie content is not controlled for. Moreover, body adiposity is not significantly correlated with any of the reproductive traits measured in this study. These results demonstrate the importance of macronutrient balance and calorie intake on reproductive function and support the need to develop specific, targeted, preconception dietary guidelines for males.
Data availability
All data generated in this study are provided in the Supplementary Information/Source Data files. Source data are provided with this paper.Files
Male-reproductive-traits-are-differentially-affected.pdf
Additional details
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41467-023-38314-x
- Other
- oai:uchicago.tind.io:5869
Funding
- Novo Nordisk Foundation
- Challenge Programme Grant