Likewise, zinc can boost testosterone levels in men who are deficient in the mineral. Sperm are especially vulnerable to hazardous molecules called free radicals, which cause damage through a process known as oxidation. During the next six months, wives of two of the men became pregnant. In another study, at the Serlin Maternity Hospital, Israel, Ami Amit, M.D., gave 200 IU of vitamin E daily for three months to 15 men with normal sperm counts but low fertilization rates. According to Amit's article in Fertility and Sterility, the vitamin quickly improved the fertilization rate of the men by about 30 percent.
Many urologists routinely encourage their infertile patients to take antioxidants.
The mineral is needed for the body's production of testosterone. The prostate gland manufactures and stores much of your seminal fluid, the gooey transport medium for sperm. By the time you reach your early 50s, you're likely to have experienced some prostate problems. Prostatitis, a painful inflammation of the prostate, affects nearly all men at some time. When caused by bacteria, it's easily treated with an antibiotic.