July 20th, 2016
A lot of people wonder if body size, shape, weight and basal metabolism has any effect on the reproductive health? Scientists at Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine conducted an extensive study on 501 couples over a period of four years to find the answer to this question.
During 2005-2009, about 501 couples were recruited from Texas and Michigan region to study if lifestyle choices and environment has any effect on the semen quality and sexual health. The majority of the sample was over-weight or obese (with 82% of the cohort having the body mass index higher than 25kg/m2). In addition, more than 58% participants reported physical activity of less than 1 session per week. When lab investigations were performed, it was observed that a significant chunk of sample (about 8.6%) was oligospermic. After careful correlation and regression analysis; investigators discovered that:
Investigators also discovered that quality of semen decreases (such as sperm viability, motility, semen volume) with increasing body size; however, no relationship was observed between sperm DNA fragmentation index and physical activity or obesity.
Sub-fertility or impaired reproductive health shatters the parenthood dream of about 15% couples in the United States (1). Various research and clinical studies suggests that subfertility in men is multifactorial i.e. several factors can impact the quality of reproductive health. However, with lifestyle modifications and overall improved physical health, the chances of conception can be significantly improved.
The pathophysiology of abnormal BMI and male has been a topic of debate and research for past few decades. For example:
Fertility in obese men can be improved significantly by following interventions:
Last but not the least, speak to a registered dietitian in addition to a fertility expert in order to make healthy choices and suitable decisions.
1. Eisenberg, M. L., Kim, S., Chen, Z., Sundaram, R., Schisterman, E. F., & Louis, G. M. B. (2014). The relationship between male BMI and waist circumference on semen quality: data from the LIFE study. Human Reproduction, 29(2), 193-200.
2. Jensen, T. K., Andersson, A. M., Jørgensen, N., Andersen, A. G., Carlsen, E., & Skakkebæk, N. E. (2004). Body mass index in relation to semen quality and reproductive hormonesamong 1,558 Danish men. Fertility and sterility, 82(4), 863-870.
3. Hammiche, F., Laven, J. S., Twigt, J. M., Boellaard, W. P., Steegers, E. A., & Steegers-Theunissen, R. P. (2012). Body mass index and central adiposity are associated with sperm quality in men of subfertile couples. Human reproduction, 27(8), 2365-2372.
4. Sermondade, N., Massin, N., Boitrelle, F., Pfeffer, J., Eustache, F., Sifer, C., … & Lévy, R. (2012). Sperm parameters and male fertility after bariatric surgery: three case series. Reproductive biomedicine online, 24(2), 206-210.
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