If you’re from the Caribbean or any country in Africa then you have to have heard about the magical potency of the OKRA. For as long as I can remember, Okra has been at the forefront of all fertility talk from men. Whether it’s from your local herb man, homeopathic doctor or just local folklore I grew up with the belief that Okra was the base needed to drive male fertility. So imagine my surprise when I found out in 2019 that it actually does the opposite! Yes, based on an article published in the Asian Journal of Research in Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences there is scientific evidence that Okra can reduce male fertility or cause infertility in men. Exactly how does this happen?

Exactly HOW does it do this? Well, okra is a pod like vegetable that is called lady fingers in other parts of the world. While the okra plan is very nutritious and has medicinal properties it contains Gossypol in it’s seeds and that’s the culprit that can cause male infertility.

Gossypol is a toxic pigment found in the seeds which stops spermatogenesis (production of sperm). Sperm production and motility is inhibited by blocking several enzymes that are highly important in energy metabolism in sperm and sperm producing cells. This will be incredibly disheartening news to some men out there, but don’t worry! There are plenty of foods out there that you can eat safely, and they can even help with conception! To read about these amazing foods, head over to the Best For Mums page.

This is what science says. There is actual and factual proof saying that Okra can make your sperm production drop and STILL I am fighting to believe. Even as a woman it has been drilled in our heads. You steam fish it has to have A LOT of Okra and other Ital dishes. In the words of one African commenter ” If this was true there would hardly be any children as it’s in lot of our dishes”, but still, there’s science saying this is so. It’s now up to men especially in the Caribbean, Africa and India to decide if they believe it.

Okra isn’t completely bad though, it has many benefits. In fact here is a list of some:

• Helps to treat diabetes – it’s fibre rich and fiber rich foods can help control blood sugar levels and even improve insulin sensitivity
• Cancer Prevention- A study showed that okra could suppress cancer cell growth by as large as 63%
• Beneficial during pregnancy – Okra contains vitamin c which promotes the absorption of Iron which is another key mineral needed during pregnancy

These are just a few benefits of the many benefits of Okra. In the end doctors and scientists will have a hard time convincing men of the potential dangers of the Okra vegetable. Leave a comment, do you believe that Okra can cause infertility in men?