Vitamin B12and potential fertility in male lactovegetarians

Abstract

Semen and serum vitamin B12levels in Indian lactovegetarian and non-vegetarian subjects were estimated along with routine semen examination. Lactovegetarians had distinctly lower serum and semen vitamin B12levels than the non-vegetarians. However, in normal and oligospermic subjects the ratio of semen vitamin B12to serum vitamin B12in the various diet groups was not significantly different and was always greater than one. In azoospermic subjects the serum vitamin B12levels were always higher than the corresponding semen vitamin B12values. Although semen vitamin B12content was related to serum vitamin B12level and sperm concentration in the normal and oligospermic groups. Further, in healthy lactovegetarians with low serum and semen vitamin B12content and oligospermia, treatment with hydroxocobalamin produced no significant improvement in semen quality.