Some fertility clinics have started to prescribe omega-3 fatty acids to men because research indicates that it could increase low levels of fertility.

Omega 3 essential fats, found in fish oil, are thought to make sperm more resistant to possible damage resulting from the chilling and freezing processes involved in assisted reproduction techniques. Researchers, from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, say that men with abnormal semen tend to consume less omega-3 fatty acids than fertile men.

One fatty acid component in particular, alpha linolenic acid, has been shown to have the most significant effect on sperm quality. A clinical trial to test the treatment is about to start and if the results indicate the beneficial effects of omega 3 on sperm men attending fertility clinics could routinely be supplied with omega 3 supplements in the future. I would always use fish oil supplements (like Mega EPA) for fertility for both men and women but good to see that the fertility clinics are now recommending them.

According to recent research drinking apple juice could halve the risk of developing asthma. Eating a banana can cut the risk by a third, according to the same researchers, but consuming whole apples appears to have no affect.

The researchers believe that the steady rise of asthma could be linked to increased consumption of fast foods and decreased consumption of natural, fresh foods. The latest study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, in June 20007, looked at almost 2,700 primary school children and found those drinking apple juice at least once a day were 50 per cent less likely to develop asthma symptoms. Researchers led by Professor Peter Burney at the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, were surprised a glass of apple juice a day was more protective-than eating apples – or any other fruit other than bananas. They believe the health benefits may be dose related because the children drink more of the content from apples through juice rather than by eating the fruit.

A Greek study has found children who eat a Mediterranean diet full of fruit, vegetables and nuts are less likely to develop asthma and allergies.

Substituting soya nuts for other protein sources in a healthy diet appears to lower blood pressure in postmenopausal women, and also may reduce cholesterol levels in women with high blood pressure, according to a report in the May 28, 2007, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Women with high blood pressure have four times the risk of heart disease as women with normal blood pressure.

Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Boston, assigned 60 healthy post-menopausal women to eat two diets for eight weeks each in random order. The first diet, the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet, consisted of 30 percent of calories from fat (with 7 percent or less from saturated fat), 15 percent from protein and 55 percent from carbohydrates; 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day; two meals of fatty fish (such as salmon or tuna) per week; and less than 200 milligrams of cholesterol per day. The other diet had the same calorie, fat and protein content, but the women were instructed to replace 25 grams of protein with one-half cup of unsalted soya nuts.

Blood pressure and blood samples for cholesterol testing were taken at the beginning and end of each eight-week period. At the beginning of the study, 12 women had high blood pressure (140/90 milligrams of mercury or higher) and 48 had normal blood pressure. Soya nut supplementation significantly reduced systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure in all 12 hypertensive women and in 40 of the 48 other women.

In women with high blood pressure, the soya diet also decreased levels of low-density lipoprotein (“bad”) cholesterol by an average of 11 percent. The researchers concluded that dietary soya may be a practical, safe and inexpensive modality to reduce blood pressure and could have important implications for reducing cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women.