Sperm of obese men is less rich in sperm

Written by Sandeep Nehra

The sperm of obese men is less rich in sperm, which could have a direct impact on their fertility, according to a French study presented on Monday in Stockholm as part of the Congress of the European Society of Human Reproduction (ESHRE).

The study was conducted in late 2010 of 1940 people by a team led by Dr. Paul Cohen-Bacri, scientific director of medical biology laboratory Unilabs-Eylau, in Paris. This is “the largest study ever conducted” on the subject as Unilabs, a consortium of laboratories from 12 European countries, based in Switzerland.

“Being overweight causes a change in sperm parameters, probably because of hormonal disorders, with deficits in number, mobility and vitality, resulting in loss of ability to design,” said Dr. Cohen-Bacrie to AFP.

The researchers analyzed semen volume, pH, concentration of spermatozoa per ml of semen, the total number, mobility, vitality, the rate of atypical … Correlation coefficients were established between these parameters and body mass index, which defines obesity.

With a BMI (weight divided by the square of height) is less than 18 is thin, between 18 and 25 normal weight, between 25.1 and 30 is overweight and obesity are beyond 30.

It appeared that the more overweight, the more sperm quality decreases, particularly in terms of concentration and total sperm.

Thus the sperm concentration decreased by 10% for overweight patients compared with those of normal weight and 20% for obese, in whom sperm motility decreased by 10%.

The total count of sperm from 184 to 194,000,000 per ml in people of normal weight, down to 164/186 for those overweight and obese in 135/157. The number of people with a complete absence of sperm (azoospermia) from 1% when the weight is normal at 3.8% in the obese.

As age increases, the effect of BMI on the concentration and count remains the same, but sperm motility decreased significantly in the obese.

We already knew that women obese or underweight can have ovulation disorders. But “when a couple trying to conceive, we must also look at the weight of the man, an important factor,” said Dr. Cohen-Bacri.

Element comforting, it has seen over 300 patients that the problem is reversible, and that losing weight is recovered parameters lost.

By acting on the weight and other data such as tobacco use, we can, “with simple actions, achieve natural conceptions and avoid assisted reproduction,” said the specialist in LDCs. “If we can avoid the need for medical science of procreation by a regime, it is,” he said.