9 May 2023
Researchers from Jessop Fertility have teamed up with world-renowned male infertility scientists from the University of Sheffield on a brand new trial investigating the effect of a dietary supplement from tomatoes on men with fertility issues.
|
Fertility experts from Jessop Fertility, a leading assisted conception unit based at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, have teamed up with world-leading male infertility scientists at the University of Sheffield to look at the effect of a dietary compound called LactoLycopene on sperm quality in men attending fertility clinics.
It follows previous breakthrough research led by the University of Sheffield which showed that sperm quality in healthy men can be improved with a simple diet supplement containing lycopene, a compound found in cooked tomatoes.
This latest research could transform the outlook for men with fertility problems and lead to better ways to reduce the damaging impact of modern living on reproductive health. Of all infertility cases, approximately 50 per cent are due to ‘male factor’ infertility.
The double-blind randomised controlled trial to assess the impact of giving men a dietary compound called LactoLycopene, will be led by Allan Pacey, Professor of Andrology at the University of Sheffield and Dr Liz Williams, Senior Lecturer in Human Nutrition at the University of Sheffield in conjunction with a research team consisting of four other researchers, three of which work at the Jessop Fertility Clinic, Mr Jonathan Skull (Clinical Head of Assisted Conception at Jessop Fertility) Dr Helen Clarke (Principal Clinical Embryologist) and Ms Lucy Wood (Clinical Embryologist). The fourth member is Dr Michael Carroll (Manchester Metropolitan University).
Professor Allan Pacey is an internationally recognised expert in male infertility, whose research and public engagement in male reproduction and sperm biology spans over 30 years.
Now the expert team want to discover whether it’s possible to increase the proportion of healthy shaped sperm (sperm morphology) and boost ‘fast swimming’ sperm in men who have impaired testicular function.
Lycopene can be found in some fruits and vegetables, but the main source in the diet is from tomatoes. Lycopene is a pigment that gives tomatoes their red colour, but dietary lycopene is poorly absorbed by the human body, so the compound used for the trial is a commercially available formulation called LactoLycopene.
The 12-week pilot study designed by the team of researchers will involve 80 volunteers aged 18 to 50, recruited from Jessop Fertility, which provides a range of fertility treatments to NHS and self-funded patients. Only men with a low motile sperm count will be offered the opportunity to enter the trial.
Half will take LactoLycopene supplements and the other half will take an identical placebo every day for 12 weeks. Neither the researchers nor the volunteers will know who is receiving the LactoLycopene treatment and who will be receiving the placebo. Sperm and blood samples will be collected at the beginning and end of the trial.
Mr Jonathan Skull, Clinical Head of Assisted Conception at Jessop Fertility and Consultant in Reproductive Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We know environmental factors are really important in male fertility and may affect the quality of men’s sperm, so it is really exciting to be working with the University of Sheffield on innovative research looking at whether this food supplement could help to improve men’s fertility.”
Dr Helen Clarke, Principal Clinical Embryologist at Jessop Fertility said: “Research in to how to safely maximise fertility is crucial to the work we do at Jessop Fertility. The leading research projects we are involved in mean that we can provide the best care to our patients at every step of their fertility journey. This study, involving men from Sheffield and the surrounding areas, may provide invaluable information about how sperm quality can be improved. We can then provide patients with evidence based advice on how to improve their sperm quality.”
Professor Allan Pacey, Professor of Andrology and Head of Departments of Oncology and Metabolism and Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease at the University of Sheffield, said: “It’s currently estimated that impaired testicular function contributes to around 50% of all cases of heterosexual infertility. One key cause of poor sperm quality is an increase in oxidative stress and we want to see if LactoLycopene can increase sperm quality for those men and whether it can help couples avoid invasive fertility treatments.”
Professor Pacey said the work so far has not investigated the mechanism for lycopene’s beneficial action, but it is a known powerful antioxidant, so is potentially inhibiting the damage caused by oxidation of sperm which is a known cause of male fertility problems. He believes this antioxidant effect is key and is looking forward to seeing the results in sperm quality from the new trial.
Men undergoing fertility treatment at Jessop Fertility who are eligible to take part in the study will be invited to participate at their clinic appointment. For further information about the study email lucy.wood12@nhs.net.
ENDS
Photo: Mr Jonathan Skull, Ms Lucy Wood and Dr Helen Clarke who are leading the study from the Assisted Conception Unit at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust