SynthesisNutrients2025
The Effect of Dietary Supplements on Male Infertility in Terms of Pregnancy, Live Birth, and Sperm Parameters: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pharmacologic and Nutritional Therapies in Idiopathic Male Infertility: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Andrology · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of astaxanthin efficacy in male infertility: evidence from clinical and preclinical studies.Scientific reports · 2026Pooled it
- Antioxidant Capacity of Seminal Plasma and Its Association with Semen Quality and Dietary Antioxidant Intake.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Article
- Male Infertility: A Comprehensive Review of Urological Causes and Contemporary Management.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Vitamin D in male reproduction: molecular mechanisms and pharmacological perspectives.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Treatment Options for Improving The Semen Quality in Obese Men: A Scoping Review.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2026Review
- Supramolecular Solvent-Based Extraction of Bisphenols and Alkylphenols in Botanical Dietary Supplements Prior to HPLC-MS/MS Analysis.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesThe aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of dietary supplements on male infertility.
methodsPubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL were searched from inception to May 2024. Randomized controlled trials with treatment durations of ≥12 weeks investigating the effect of dietary supplements on male infertility compared to placebo were included. Primary outcomes were pregnancy and live birth, while secondary outcomes were sperm concentration, sperm count, total motility, progressive motility, normal morphology, and DNA Fragmentation Index. Risk of bias was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk of bias (RoB2) tool. Data were meta-analyzed using random effects-restricted maximum likelihood models. Certainty of evidence was evaluated using the grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) approach.
resultsOf the 3137 articles identified, 50 were included. No effect on pregnancy and live birth was found. Different supplements improved single sperm parameters: Zinc and folic acid and ≥3 substance dietary supplements improved sperm concentration, selenium, carnitine, and coenzyme Q10 improved motility and alpha-lipoic acid improved normal morphology. Vitamin D, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids showed no improvement in sperm parameters. The majority of studies had some concerns or high risk of bias, and certainty of evidence was generally low or very low.
conclusionsThis study found no convincing evidence of an effect of any dietary supplements on male infertility. Larger and more well-conducted randomized controlled trials focusing on specific supplements and considering pregnancy outcomes are needed.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.