The association of global and prime diet quality scores with sperm quality parameters: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Diet can directly affect the quality of semen. According to our knowledge, no study has assessed the relationship between the global diet quality score (GDQS) and the prime diet quality score (PDQS) with infertility. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between GDQS and PDQS and sperm quality parameters.

Methods: In the present cross-sectional study, 260 men with infertility were selected from a major infertility clinic in Isfahan Province, Iran. Four semen parameters were evaluated: semen volume, normal sperm morphology, sperm concentration, and total sperm motility. Also, a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) comprising 168 items was employed to assess the food intake of participants. Moreover, logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between GDQS and PDQS with sperm parameters.

Results: The findings showed lower odds of abnormal sperm concentration associated with each unit increase in GDQS (odds ratio (OR) = 0.854, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.764-0.954, p = 0.005), health-positive foods of GDQS (GDQS+) (OR = 0.816, 95% CI: 0.717-0.928, p = 0.002), PDQS (OR = 0.892, 95% CI: 0.814-0.978, p = 0.015), and healthy food groups of PDQS (PDQS+) (OR = 0.825, 95% CI: 0.734-0.926, p = 0.001).

Conclusions: The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest a potential association between adherence to a healthy and high-quality diet and higher sperm concentration among men with infertility. Further research, particularly well-designed prospective and interventional studies, is needed to better understand the temporal and causal relationships between diet quality and male reproductive health.