Kumar Navneet, Jadhao Anand Gautam, Yadav Ravi Ramkishan
Department of Pathology, New District Women Hospital, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Department of Physiology, SRMSIMS, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2024 Nov;13(11):5171-5176. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_727_24. Epub 2024 Nov 18.
Micronutrients such as vitamin B12 and D have recently gained attention for their potential roles in male reproductive health. Despite their significance, there's a critical gap in understanding their association with male infertility, particularly concerning suboptimal semen parameters. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by examining serum vitamin B12 and D levels in infertile males, providing insights that could inform targeted interventions for couples facing male infertility challenges.
This cross-sectional study, conducted at Tertiary Health care centre in north India for 2 years, enrolled 73 infertile males aged 20-40 years from the fertility clinic (participants exhibited suboptimal semen parameters). Clinical and demographic data were collected through interviews and record reviews, while semen samples underwent meticulous processing for the analysis of various parameters. Blood samples were collected after overnight fasting for serum vitamin B12 (ELISA) and vitamin D (CLIA) assessment. Statistical analyses, performed using SPSS, included t-tests, Chi-square tests, and Pearson's correlation analyses to explore associations between serum vitamin levels and semen parameters, with a significance level set at < 0.05.
The study comprised 73 infertile males with suboptimal semen parameters. Serum vitamin B12 levels (mean ± SD: 243.4 ± 69.3 pg/mL) and vitamin D levels (22.5 ± 13.2 ng/mL) were measured. Low vitamin B12 (<200 pg/mL) was observed in 29 participants (39.7%), while low vitamin D (<20 ng/mL) was noted in 51 participants (69.9%). Semen parameters revealed significant differences in sperm count, motility, and morphology between low and normal vitamin B12 groups. Similar patterns were observed with vitamin D levels, emphasizing potential associations between vitamin status and semen quality.
Our findings suggest a potential link between low serum vitamin B12 and D levels and suboptimal semen parameters in infertile males. Addressing these nutritional deficiencies may hold promise for improving male fertility outcomes. Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms involved and explore targeted interventions.
维生素B12和D等微量营养素最近因其在男性生殖健康中的潜在作用而受到关注。尽管它们很重要，但在理解它们与男性不育的关联方面仍存在关键差距，尤其是关于精液参数不理想的情况。本研究旨在通过检测不育男性的血清维生素B12和D水平来填补这一知识空白，为面临男性不育挑战的夫妇提供有针对性干预措施的见解。
这项横断面研究在印度北部的三级医疗保健中心进行了2年，招募了73名年龄在20至40岁之间来自生育诊所的不育男性（参与者精液参数不理想）。通过访谈和记录审查收集临床和人口统计学数据，同时对精液样本进行细致处理以分析各种参数。过夜禁食后采集血样用于血清维生素B12（酶联免疫吸附测定）和维生素D（化学发光免疫分析）评估。使用SPSS进行统计分析，包括t检验、卡方检验和Pearson相关分析，以探讨血清维生素水平与精液参数之间的关联，显著性水平设定为<0.05。
该研究包括73名精液参数不理想的不育男性。测量了血清维生素B12水平（平均值±标准差：243.4±69.3 pg/mL）和维生素D水平（22.5±13.2 ng/mL）。29名参与者（39.7%）维生素B12水平低（<200 pg/mL），51名参与者（69.9%）维生素D水平低（<20 ng/mL）。精液参数显示低维生素B12组和正常维生素B12组在精子数量、活力和形态方面存在显著差异。维生素D水平也观察到类似模式，强调了维生素状态与精液质量之间的潜在关联。
我们的研究结果表明，不育男性血清维生素B12和D水平低与精液参数不理想之间可能存在联系。解决这些营养缺乏问题可能有望改善男性生育结果。有必要进一步研究以阐明其中涉及的机制并探索有针对性的干预措施。
