Dietary supplement could help subfertile men

A dietary supplement called proXeed is being marketed by a US company as a non-prescription fertility aid that can help improve sperm quality. With up to 40 per cent of conception problems believed to be related to poor sperm quality, Sigma-Tau Consumer Products hopes to target their citrus flavoured drink mix to a potential constituency in the US of 2.5 million couples.

ProXeed contains two types of L-carnitine, a compound naturally present in the body for cellular metabolism. Since scientists already know that L-carnitine is highly concentrated in sperm-related tissues, the theory is that subfertile men may lack this particular compound.

However, American doctors are urging patients to see a doctor before buying proXeed over the Internet because there are many causes of male infertility that proXeed won't be able to help. But since the supplement only costs $100 a month, as opposed to the thousands of dollars needed for a single cycle of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), it is certain to be popular. Research into the drug's effectiveness is being planned.