Does date palm pollen improve sperm quality in male infertility? Original paper

In this randomized controlled trial, supplementation with date palm pollen improved sperm quality parameters more than pentoxifylline (a drug sometimes used to treat male infertility). However, the dose of pentoxifylline used was likely inadequate.

The effect of supplementation with Phoenix dactylifera L. (date palm) pollen, compared to pentoxifylline (a drug sometimes used to treat male infertility), on sperm quality parameters (semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, sperm morphology, total motility, progressive motility, nonprogressive motility, and motility) in the context of male infertility.

A total of 80 men (average age of 33) with primary infertility and low sperm count, low sperm motility, and/or abnormal sperm morphology who were recruited from a hospital in Tehran, Iran.

A 90-day randomized controlled trial was conducted, in which the participants took either 6 grams of date palm pollen powder (in two doses of 3 grams, taken 12 hours apart) or 400 milligrams of pentoxifylline daily.

Compared to pentoxifylline, supplementation with date palm pollen increased (improved) sperm concentration, total sperm count, and the percentage of sperm with normal morphology, normal total motility, and normal progressive motility. It also reduced (improved) the percentage of immotile sperm.

The usual daily dose of pentoxifylline for the treatment of male infertility is 1,200 milligrams,^[1] so the dose of 400 milligrams used in this trial may have been too low to cause meaningful improvements in sperm quality parameters.