Dietary intake of folic acid and vitamin B۱۲ in relation to infertility in Iranian men

Global prevalence of male infertility, a predictor for comorbidity and early mortality among men, has drastically risen over the past two decades. The present study aimed to investigate the dietary intakes of folic acid and vitamin B۱۲ in relation to infertility among Iranian men. This case–control study was performed among ۳۰۰ infertile and ۳۰۰ fertile men, aged from ۲۰ to ۵۵ years, in Isfahan, Iran. Cases were recruited using a convenience sampling method among newly-diagnosed infertile men visiting Isfahan infertility clinics. A confirmed diagnosis of infertility by an andrologist was a prerequisite for inclusion of cases. Controls were selected through a random sampling method from men attending Isfahan health centers. Having a child under ۲ years old or a naturally pregnant wife was the inclusion criterion for the control men. Dietary intakes of participants were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Finally, participants were categorized according to tertiles of folic acid and vitamin B۱۲ intake. After controlling for all confounding variables, no significant relation was seen between dietary intake of folic acid and odds of male infertility (ORT۳ vs. T۱ = ۰.۷۹; ۹۵% CI: ۰.۵۲-۱.۱۸). In contrast, the highest dietary intakes of vitamin B۱۲ (ORT۳ vs. T۱ = ۰.۶۹; ۹۵% CI: ۰.۴۵-۱.۰۵) was marginally related to reduced likelihood of male infertility, compared to the lowest dietary intakes. The current study demonstrated a marginally significant inverse association between dietary consumption of vitamin B۱۲ and male infertility. Further prospective studies are needed to affirm these findings.

کلیدواژه ها:

Folic acid ، Vitamin B۱۲ ، Male infertility ، Case-control study.