Guys, here's another reason to eat your veggies: they might be good for your sperm. Some studies show that male fertility and what's called seminal quality have declined over the last few decades. So researchers from two fertility clinics in Spain looked at the reproductive power of fruits and vegetables. The scientists have spent the past four years analyzing diet and possible exposure to workplace contaminants in men with fertility problems.

    One effort examined the effects that antioxidants might have on sperm. The researchers hypothesized that antioxidants could lower the oxidative stress that can harm sperm. More antioxidants could theoretically improve both sperm concentration and motility.

    The study enrolled 61 men from couples with fertility problems. Thirty of the men were shown to have sperm problems. The other 31 one acted as the control. Interviews revealed that the males with good semen quality ate significantly more fruits and vegetables-their diets were higher in vitamins and antioxidants in general. The study appears in the journal Fertility and Sterility. The researchers say this finding suggests that healthy diets lead to healthy sperm. So remember, guys, an apple a day keeps your swimmers in play.

    男人們，你們要多吃蔬菜，理由是：蔬菜對你的精子質(zhì)量益處多多。一些研究表明，男性生育能力的重要指標(biāo)精液質(zhì)量在過去幾十年間不斷下降。為解決這個問題，來自西班牙兩所生殖研究機(jī)構(gòu)的研究者們對水果和蔬菜的生長能力進(jìn)行了檢測，他們更花了四年時間跟蹤研究那些患有生殖疾病的男士的飲食狀況和環(huán)境污染可能造成的影響。

    研究者們也對抗氧化劑對精子的潛在影響進(jìn)行了測試，他們首先進(jìn)行了理論上的假設(shè)：抗氧化劑能夠降低氧化作用對精子的損傷，越多的抗氧化劑越能增加精子的數(shù)目和活性。

    基于上述假設(shè)，研究者們從眾多存在生育問題的夫婦中邀請了61位男士參與研究。其中30位男士的精子質(zhì)量存在問題，而剩下的31位男士則在研究中充當(dāng)比照對象。訪談結(jié)果顯示，那些精子質(zhì)量高的男士平時吃下更多的水果和蔬菜，這使他們的飲食總體上富含更多的維生素和抗氧化劑。這項(xiàng)研究發(fā)表在《生育和不育研究》雜志上，研究者們稱，健康的飲食有助于提高精子質(zhì)量。所以，廣大男性朋友們注意了！要多吃水果和蔬菜吖！