Can pineapple juice improve sperm quality?

Pineapple Juice and Sperm Quality Improvement

There is no scientific evidence supporting that pineapple juice specifically improves sperm quality in humans, and current guidelines do not recommend it as a treatment for male infertility. 1

Current Evidence on Antioxidants and Male Fertility

• Oxidative stress plays a significant role in sperm dysfunction and male infertility, but evidence for antioxidant therapy remains conflicting and of low quality 1
• A Cochrane review examining 48 studies found that only 7 reported on clinical pregnancy rates and only 4 reported live births, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions 1, 2
• When studies with high risk of bias were removed from analysis, the apparent increase in live birth rates with antioxidant therapy was no longer evident 1
• The European Association of Urology (2025) states that evidence for antioxidant therapy in male infertility remains contradictory 1

Specific Antioxidants with Some Evidence

• Coenzyme Q10 has shown the most promising results for improving sperm concentration (mean difference = 5.95 × 10^6 spz/mL) compared to placebo 3
• Carnitine supplementation has demonstrated the highest efficacy for improving sperm motility (mean difference = 12.43%) 3
• Other antioxidants with some evidence of benefit include:
  • Selenium (improves concentration, motility, and morphology) 4
  • Zinc (improves concentration and motility) 4
  • Omega-3 fatty acids (improves concentration and morphology) 4

Pineapple Juice Specifically

• Only one animal study has investigated pineapple juice's effects on testicular function, showing some improvement in obesity-induced testicular impairment in rats 5
• This study cannot be extrapolated to humans with normal weight or to fertility outcomes 5
• No human clinical trials have specifically evaluated pineapple juice for sperm quality improvement 1

Clinical Recommendations

• Lifestyle modifications with stronger evidence should be prioritized first:
  • Weight loss in overweight/obese men 1
  • Physical exercise 1
  • Smoking cessation 1
• For men with abnormal semen parameters, a comprehensive approach addressing identifiable causes should be pursued before considering supplements 1
• If antioxidant therapy is considered, combinations of evidence-based antioxidants (CoQ10, carnitine, selenium, zinc) would be more appropriate than pineapple juice 4, 3

Pitfalls and Caveats

• Many studies on nutritional supplements for male fertility have poor methodological quality 2
• Heterogeneity among studies makes meta-analysis challenging 2, 4
• Techniques for measuring oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity are not standardized across clinical trials 2
• Focusing on unproven remedies like pineapple juice may delay proper evaluation and treatment of underlying causes of male infertility 1