Lots of women already know that getting plenty of folic acid, one of the B vitamins, can reduce the risk of certain birth defects that occur early in pregnancy. New evidence now suggests that folic acid deficiency reduces fertility in men and may damage the DNA carried by sperm.

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After showing that a folate-restricted diet made sperm counts plunge 90 percent in rats, researcher Bruce Ames and his colleagues at the University of California at Berkeley showed that folic acid deficiency has a similar effect in men.

The body needs folic acid to produce DNA, but not everyone gets enough in the food they eat. About 10 percent of Americans and Europeans consume too little. Couples who want to start a family should make an effort to get adequate folic acid before they ever conceive. The recommended daily amount is 600 micrograms (abbreviated as "mcg" or "µg") for pregnant women and 400 for other adults.

Some people take supplements to get extra folic acid, but many foods are also rich in the vitamin, including: orange juice, beans and lentils, fortified cereals, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and chicken or beef liver.

 

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