Research
Hormonal
Weight loss interventions in overweight and obese men do not show consistent or significant improvements in fertility outcomes due to a lack of high-quality randomized studies.
For overweight or obese men seeking to improve fertility, current evidence is insufficient to recommend specific weight loss protocols, though general health benefits apply. More research is needed.
LimitedQualifiesLOW confidence
A lack of randomized studies in men and couples... is evident, and future research should examine these issues further.
Why this rating
Based on very few studies (2 studies involving men) and lack of RCTs.
Source
How effective are weight-loss interventions for improving fertility in women and men who are overweight or obese? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence
Damian Best et al. · Human Reproduction Update · 2017
DOI 10.1093/humupd/dmx027
Meta-analysis · 40 studiesCited 183×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Combined reduced-calorie diet and aerobic exercise interventions significantly improve pregnancy rates in overweight and obese women seeking fertility treatment compared to standard care or no intervention.Good
- Weight loss interventions do not reduce miscarriage rates in overweight and obese women, despite improving pregnancy rates.Good
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