The incidence of disorders of the male reproductive tract has more than doubled in the past 30-50 years and sperm counts have declined by about half. Similar abnormalities occur in the sons of women exposed to large amounts of artificial oestrogen during pregnancy. Alcohol is a reproductive toxin. The authors discuss various mechanisms by which alcohol can cause infertility in males. Men with a low vitamin C intake have a markedly increased likelihood of genetic damage to their sperm.
Cigarette smoke is high in oxidants and depletes the body of vitamin C and other antioxidants.
Male smokers may therefore experience mutations in their sperm which can lead to cancer, birth defects and genetic diseases in their offspring. Promising nutritional research Selenium supplementation to males attending an infertility clinic proved efficient in improving sperm motility. 8th International Conference on Trace Element Metabolism in Man and Animals, 1993. 14 men with low sperm counts were supplemented with zinc sulphate for 4 months. While serum zinc levels did not change, semen zinc levels increased, sperm count increased, and the wives of 3 patients conceived.