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Could a 'super sperm' supplement be the answer to male infertility?

Could the answer to your fertility woes be a short trip to the high-street away? - PA
Could the answer to your fertility woes be a short trip to the high-street away? - PA

The pain and stresses of male infertility can have couples clutching at straws in an attempt to find an answer to their problems. And now, there's a new straw available to them: a £29.99 male fertility supplement, released by Superdrug this week. Its blend of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and L-Carnitine has been shown to improve sperm concentration and mobility.

L-Carnitine is the wonder drug here: a potent anti-oxidant most commonly found in the protein shakers of gym bunnies trying to cut their weight down. In this scenario it works by transporting fatty acids into your cells' mitochondria, and has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease - though the doses of L-Carnitine in Superdrug's new male fertility supplement are too low for this to be a substantial concern.

L-Carnitine in male fertility supplements is nothing new. However, it's the amount of the anti-oxidant that is supposed to make this new supplement work: Superdrug say they've calculated an optimal level of 1.5g per dose, which avoids going over the body's saturation point (2g). After saturation, adding more L-Carnitine speeds up excretion, and less is absorbed. (Some L-carnintine is present in food, hence the little under 2g dose).

The fact that this mass-market supplement will be readily available at an accessible price point suggests a significant change in the male infertility field. Indeed, Dr Sheryl T Homa, honorary senior lecturer in biosciences at University of Kent and scientific director at male fertility treatment clinic, Andrology Solutions believes that supplements like Superdrug's can be useful for some men. " I have found that if I were to prescribe, or recommend vitamin supplements that there is a chance that the sperm parameters can be improved and in particular motility. But this is anecdotal and there is not sufficient scientific evidence out there."

L-carnitine is more readily known among the gym-going community - Credit:  PeopleImages/ Digital Vision
L-carnitine is more readily known among the gym-going community Credit: PeopleImages/ Digital Vision

However, while the vitamins appear to do positive work, Homa believes that the emphasis on male fertility supplements is often misplaced. "All of these supplements, to be honest, they're all the same. What are they? They are all anti-oxidants. So the point about anyone wanting to prescribe this would be that you would only prescribe anti-oxidants if you have too many oxidants."

Oxidants, or reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential to normal sperm function. They are produced naturally in your body, as are anti-oxidants which will take out the oxidants as soon as they have done their job. 

An over-production of oxidants results in oxidative stress which has been identified as one of the many mediators of male infertility by causing sperm dysfunction. An over-production can be the result of many things - obesity, smoking, an infection, a varicocele (an enlargement of the veins within the scrotum). If a man's infertility is the result of one of these then you need to treat the infection or varicocele, or lead a healthier lifestyle, or else you will not stop the over-production. But if it is nothing to do with them - ie if it's a natural imbalance -  then taking anti-oxidants may be a worthwhile way to restore imbalance.

Here, though, the plot thickens: "if you prescribe anti-oxidants and you do not have an overproduction of oxidants," says Homa, "you will reduce the levels of oxidants to a dangerously low level - putting the patient into reductive stress. You will remove the required levels of oxidants that are required for fertility. So you will damage that sperm and cause more harm than good.

"What you need to do before you decide to prescribe these supplements is to do an oxidative stress assay in the semen to see if the patient over-produces oxidants." 

If you are a smoker with an over-production of oxidative stress the best way to increase your sperm motility is to quit - Credit: REGIS DUVIGNAU/ REUTERS
If you are a smoker with an over-production of oxidative stress the best way to increase your sperm motility is to quit Credit: REGIS DUVIGNAU/ REUTERS

The key is to investigate the problem first. If you live a healthy lifestyle and have no infection or a varicocele than these supplements could be a great option, one endorsed by scientists and doctors. But the supplement won't necessarily work for every man.

"If a man has a problem with fertility he needs to be investigated properly rather than just being palmed off with a bunch of vitamin supplements," states Homa. "Women are investigated properly - they have ultrasound scans, and hormone levels tested. They have a full clinical history taken. A man is lucky if he has a proper semen analysis done. 

If you're taking supplements there is a chance that they may help you. But there's also a chance that it may have the opposite effect of what you are trying to achieve. So you're completely in the dark."