It appears that not only the mother’s weight plays an important
role in conceiving, but the father's as well, Dr. A Ghiyath Shayeb from the
University of Aberdeen, UK sustained at the 24th annual conference of the
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology held in Barcelona on July
9.
More exactly, Dr. Shayeb’s study suggests that obese men
produced substantially less sperm than average and had higher levels of
abnormalities, which can reduce chances of conceiving and boost the risk of
miscarriage. The same thing happened in the case of men who were underweight.
For the study, Dr. Shayeb and colleagues analyzed 5,316 men
attending Aberdeen Fertility Centre between 1990 and 2007 and identified 2,037 who
had listed their body mass index. BMI is defined as a ratio of weight to
height. A BMI above 30 is classed as clinically obese, a BMI between 20 and 25
is classed as normal, healthy weight, and a BMI under 20 is classed as
underweight.
The analysis revealed that those having a BMI above 30 produced
60 percent less seminal fluid than men with a healthy BMI, and had 40 percent
higher levels of abnormal sperm. And the more obese the men were, the bigger the
problem with fertility.
Also, severely underweight men had poorer sperm quality than
men in the healthy weight range.
The findings of this study are not new, according to Dr.
Shayeb’s sayings. “Other studies have suggested an association between male
obesity and increased DNA damage in the sperm, which can be associated with
reduced fertility as well.”
Moreover, Dr. Shayeb suggests that men trying to conceive “should
first try to achieve an ideal body weight.”
What exactly causes DNA damage in the sperm is not clear,
the lead author of the study said. There could be a number of things. Obese men
appear to have different hormone levels and that could influence the production
of sperm. Excessive fat in the area could overheat the testicles affecting this
way the quality of sperm. Finally yet importantly, the lifestyle and diet
leading to obesity could be a decisive factor when conceiving.
Nothing is yet known, but “this is an important question
that needs urgent attention.”
Until the relationship between fertility and obesity is
established, men are recommended to adopt a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet
and a daily exercise program in order to improve their BMI. “We are pleased to
be able to add improved semen quality to the long lost of benefits that we know
are the results of an optimal body weight.”
A separate study conducted by Dr. Con Mallidis from Queen’s
University, Belfast
concluded that diabetes may affect men’s fertility by disrupting DNA in sperm. Once
DNA is damaged, the quality of the embryo decreases, making it more difficult
for an embryo to implant into the womb. This leads to higher miscarriage rates.
Damaged sperm DNA is also linked to some serious childhood
diseases, including cancers.
“Diabetics have a significant decrease in their ability to
repair sperm DNA, and once this is damaged, it cannot be restored,” the study
wrote.
