A study led by URV also concludes that there is still insufficient evidence to confirm that this diet improves the outcomes of assisted reproductive treatments
Infertility affects one in six adults worldwide and has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a public health issue. Several studies conducted on men in developed countries have raised concerns about a decline in semen quality, potentially linked to unhealthy lifestyle habits. Stress, smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, and poor dietary choices are among the main risk factors associated with reduced sperm quality.
The analysis encompassed 11 original studies involving a total of 2,558 men, examining the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet—rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, nuts, and whole grains—semen quality, and/or various fertility parameters.
The findings revealed that men who closely followed this dietary pattern had a higher sperm count, with improved total and progressive motility, as well as a greater proportion of sperm with normal morphology. These results were observed both in healthy individuals and in patients attending fertility clinics.
However, the authors caution that, although semen quality was superior among participants with greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet, there is still no conclusive evidence that this diet directly enhances outcomes in medically assisted reproduction.
“While the Mediterranean diet appears to have a positive effect on semen quality, further research is needed to determine its actual impact on male fertility,” the research team noted.
The study’s findings form part of Rashmi Agarwal’s doctoral thesis, supervised by Albert Salas-Huetos, lecturer at URV; Nancy Babio, associate professor at the university; and Jordi Salas-Salvadó, professor and head of the Food, Nutrition, Development and Mental Health research group at URV, the Institut Sanitari Pere Virgili (IISPV), and CIBERobn at the Instituto de Salud Carlos III.
Bibliographic reference: Agarwal R, Salas-Salvadó J, Davila-Cordova E, Shyam S, Fernàndez de la Pont M, Azurmendi M, Bavi N, and Salas-Huetos A. Mediterranean diet, semen quality and medically assisted reproductive outcomes in the male population. 2025; 100454. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100454
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