Losing weight would double the sperm count in men with obesity.
- More than 8 million adults are obese in France, ie 17% of the population.
- In Guadeloupe and Martinique, obesity affects 23% and 28% of adults respectively.
1.9 billion. This was the number of overweight adults in the world in 2016 and 650 million were classified as obese, according to theWorld Health Organization. A public health issue since obesity is a major risk factor for several pathologies such as type 2 diabetes, heart and cardiovascular disease. This excess fat in the body also has an impact on the quality of sperm in men.
According to researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Hvidovre Hospital, Denmark, obese men could double their sperm count if they lose weight sustainably. Their work has been published in the journal Human Reproduction. “We were surprised that such an improvement in sperm quality could be linked to weight loss. And since 18% of Danes suffer from obesity, this new knowledge can make a difference”said Signe Torekov, one of the authors.
40% more sperm and better sperm concentration
To achieve these results, the researchers conducted a clinical trial with 56 obese men, aged 18 to 65, who had a body mass index (BMI) of between 32 and 43. As a reminder, if the BMI is between between 30 and 35, obesity is said to be moderate, severe from 35 to 40 and morbid or massive from 40.
“This is the first long-term study, where we have shown that sperm quality in obese men improves with sustained weight loss. The men lost an average of 16.5 kg, which increased their sperm concentration by 50% and sperm count by 40% eight weeks after the weight loss,” Signe Torekov said.
Men who didn’t regain weight had twice as many sperm a year later
Scientists noted that sperm quality remained better even after the clinical trial, “but only the men who maintained the weight loss: after a year, they had twice as many sperm as before the diet. The men who regained the weight lost the improvements in sperm quality.”
All participants followed a diet for eight weeks. Then they were split into four groups for a year: two that were given obesity drugs and two that were given placebos. Of these, one group had to follow a weekly exercise program of at least 150 minutes of moderate physical training or 75 minutes of intensive training per week, or a combination of both.
A year after the eight-week diet, only the group that received placebos and did not exercise regained half of the pounds initially lost.
