Fatty diets may be associated with reduced semen quality, according to a study published Wednesday in the European reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction.

In a study of 99 U.S. men, researchers found an association between high total fat intake and lower total sperm count and concentration. It also found that men who ate more omega-3 fats (often found in fish and plant oils) had better formed sperm than men who ate less of these types of fats.

"At a global level, adopting these lifestyle modifications may improve general health, as high-saturated fat diets are known to be a risk factor for a range of cardiovascular diseases; but, in addition, our research suggests that it could be beneficial for reproductive health worldwide," said Dr. Jill Attaman, an Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology instructor at Harvard Medical School at the time of the research, in a statement.

"Little is known of how diet may influence male reproductive potential," researchers said in the study.

Men, with an average age of 37 years, who attended a fertility clinic were investigated between December 2006 and August 2010.

Researchers questioned them about their diet and analyzed samples of their semen. Also, 23 of the 99 men participating in the study were measured for levels of fatty acids in their sperm and seminal plasma.

Participants were divided into three groups according to the amount of unsaturated fats they consumed. Men with the third-highest fat intake had a 43 per cent lower sperm count and 38 per cent lower sperm concentration than men in the group with the lowest fat intake.

Men who consumed the most omega-3 fatty acids had slightly more sperm (1.9 per cent) that were "correctly formed" than men in the third that had the lowest intake of omega-3.

Meanwhile, researchers noted some limitations: the study size is small and needs to be replicated by further research to confirm the role of fatty diets on men's fertility, they said. Also, the use of a food frequency questionnaire might not accurately reflect men's actual diets. And only one semen sample per man was collected.

Researchers cautioned that the study can only show an association between dietary fats and semen quality and cannot show causation.

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Too much fat in men's diet could lower chances of fertility: Study