Vitamin D is essential to reproductive health, study shows

While previous studies have shown that vitamin D supports good reproductive and overall health in humans and animals, the nutrient may also boost sperm quality in men.

According to a recent study published in the journal Human Reproduction, vitamin D increases the mobility of sperm, which could contribute to improved fertility.

The research, which involved 300 healthy men, showed that levels of the nutrient coincided with measures of sperm quality. Moreover, the findings indicated that when cultured human spermatooza was activated with vitamin D, the sperm increased the rate of their forward movement.

"Low semen quality may have numerous causes, but it often has a fetal origin similar to some male genital malformations and testicular cancer. However, this study indicates that factors in adult life may also play a role for semen quality," said lead researcher Anders Juul.

According to a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the general quality of male sperm varies by geographic region. For example, men in Columbia, Missouri, have significantly lower sperm quality than those in New York City, in general.