A recent study published in the journal Andrology found that eating nuts regularly is associated with higher total sperm count and concentration in healthy young men of reproductive age.
To evaluate the association between nut consumption and sperm quality parameters, researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from 222 men between the ages of 18 and 40 years. Subjects were grouped by the number of 30-gram servings of nuts they ate per week.
The findings showed that men who consumed 7 or more servings of nuts per week had higher total sperm count and concentration compared to those who consumed fewer than 3 servings. Each additional daily serving of nuts was also associated with increases in these parameters. Higher nut intake was further linked to a lower likelihood of abnormal sperm motility and overall semen abnormalities.
Substitution modeling suggested that replacing nuts with less healthy snack foods, such as potato chips or pastries, was associated with lower total sperm count and concentration.
Overall, the findings suggest that regular nut consumption may be associated with improved sperm quantity and quality markers in healthy men.
Dávila-Córdova, E., Babio, N., Valle-Hita, C., Fernández de la Puente, M., Beltran-Arasa, A., Cebrián-Puig, M., Fambuena-Perez, V., García-Serrano, I., Murphy, M. M., Salas-Salvadó, J., & Salas-Huetos, A. (2026). Nut Consumption and Sperm Quality in Healthy Men: Results From the Led-Fertyl Study. Andrology, e70204. Advance online publication