Sperm Count of Obese Men Can be Increased by Losing Weight

But, we are now talking about their sexual function — sperm count and semen quality. More than 30% of obese men, while they are in a weight loss program, reported that they have regained their normal sexual function.

Study Behind the Research on Sperm Count

A recent study suggested that obese men who lost 16.5 kg in 8 weeks increased their sperm count by 41%, as per the researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Hvidovre Hospital (), both organizations in Denmark.

Scientists from the University of Copenhagen tracked 56 men between the ages of 18 and 65, with body mass indices ranging from 32 to 43 — well above the “healthy” range of between 18.5 and 24.9. All case studies were placed on a strict 800-calories-a-day diet for two months ().

By the end of the eight-week timeline, sperm counts swam up 41% in men who dropped at least 8 pounds . The research also indicated that the men who kept their tummy weight off for at least a year doubled their sperm count ().

However, the experts at Copenhagen University found out that participants whose belly fat rebounded lost the improvements in semen quality ().

They were given meals made by Cambridge Weight Plan, a company that makes low-calorie meal versions of pastas, traybakes, and burgers to reduce their tummy.

“It was surprising to us that such a big improvement can be shown in the semen quality in connection with a weight loss,” reported lead study author Signe Torekov, a professor and obesity expert in the university.

“This is the first long-term randomized study, where we have shown that semen quality in men with obesity improve with a sustained weight loss,” said Torekov, who conducted the research in conjunction with fellow professor Romain Barrès, of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research.

Need for Weight Loss in Order to Increase the Volume of Sperm

Researchers did not find losing weight improved the men’s sperm motility, a term for how efficiently they ‘swim’, or the volume of sperm produced ().

Torekov explained that the men lost an average of 36 pounds, which increased the sperm concentration by 50% and the sperm count by 40% eight weeks after the weight loss.

A typical sperm amount is reported to be any number larger than 15 million swimmers per milliliter of semen, according to prior Mayo Clinic studies ().

Sperm quality in men has been decreasing since the 1970s across Europe (), North America (), and Australia. UK and US waistlines have grown while sperm counts have fallen since the 1970s ().

NHS data from 2019 indicates 41% of men in England are overweight, and 27% are obese. The figures are similar for the tummy problem in the US. Low sperm counts have deemed a factor for about a third of couples struggling to get pregnant in the UK ().

Obesity has previously been suggested to lower men’s testosterone levels, affecting their ability to produce sperm. The Danish study is just the latest research highlighting the link between obesity and low sperm counts ().

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Causes of Men Infertility

The main common cause of <a href="https://www.medindia.net/news/dealing-with-secondary-infertility-in-males-201902-1.htm Dealing with Secondary Infertility in Males is poor-quality semen and lack and immobility of the sperms . Testicles too play a major role in the production and storage of sperms. If they are damaged, it will also affect the sperm quality ().

Meanwhile, a separate study was released earlier this year by the University of Worcester in England claiming that males who overeat meat raise the risk of becoming infertile.

High-protein diets plunged men’s testosterone levels by 37%, and they were advised to eat less chicken, beef, and lamb to up their sperm count.

Necessity of a Larger Study

A sub study of a major publication on weight loss, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in May 2021. A total of 215 Danes with obesity participated in the larger study ().

It was among these participants that 56 of the men also provided semen samples to investigate whether semen quality and weight loss could be related ().

In the trial, all participants first followed an eight-week regimen with a low-calorie diet, resulting in weight loss. Those participants were randomly divided into four groups ().

Two of the groups received placebo medication, while the other two groups received obesity medication. Among the two placebo groups, one group had to follow an exercise programme where each week, they had to do a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate physical training or 75 minutes of hard training – or a combination ().

The other group did not change their usual level of physical activity. The two groups that received obesity medication were divided in the same way, into a group with and without an exercise program ().

After a year, it was shown that the group that only exercised and did not receive medication, as well as the group that only received obesity medication and did not exercise, maintained weight loss of 13 kg.

The group that both received obesity medication and exercised lost additional weight and improved health along with an increase of sperm count. Group – who thought they were given medication but did not exercise – had regained half of the weight loss with aggravation of many of the risk factors related to the development of diseases ().

So, it is clear that the sperm counts can be increased by reducing the tummy of obese men.

References :

1. Obesity – (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/symptoms-causes/syc-20375742)
2. University Of Copenhagen: Men With Obesity Can Double Their Sperm Count – (https://indiaeducationdiary.in/university-of-copenhagen-men-with-obesity-can-double-their-sperm-count/)
3. Losing weight helps big guys double their sperm counts: study says – (https://nypost.com/2022/05/25/weight-loss-helps-men-double-sperm-count-study-says/)

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4. Losing weight can help fat men DOUBLE their sperm count, study claims – (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10849163/Losing-weight-help-men-DOUBLE-sperm-count-study-claims.html)

Source: Medindia