TV viewing leads to lower sperm counts

TV viewing leads to lower sperm counts

Men who watch more than 20 hours of TV per week have a sperm count nearly half that of men who rarely watch TV, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

To examine the effect of physical activity levels on men's health, the researchers analyzed the semen of 189 men between the ages of 18 and 22 who were participating in the Rochester Young Men's Study from 2009 to 2010.

"The majority of the previous studies on physical activity and semen quality had focused on professional marathon runners and cyclists, who reach physical activity levels that most people in the world cannot match," senior author Jorge Chavarro said. "We were able to examine a range of physical activity that is more relevant to men in the general population."

Participants answered questions about their TV-watching habits and physical activity patterns, as well as about several known risk factors for low sperm count, including diet, smoking and stress. The researchers found that men who spent 15 or more hours engaged in moderate exercise each week had a 73 percent higher sperm count than men who exercised fewer than five hours per week. This was true even among men who smoked or who were overweight. There was no difference seen in men who engaged in only mild exercise.

Men who watched 20 or more hours of TV per week; however, had a 44 percent lower sperm count than men who watch nearly no TV. This was true even among men who engaged in 15 or more hours of moderate exercise per week. That is, TV viewing seemed to counteract the beneficial effects of a moderately active lifestyle.

Lead author Audrey Gaskins described the differences in sperm count observed in the study as "pretty impressive."

Reasons unclear

Sperm counts have been dropping among men in the Western world for decades. For example, a recent study showed a 33 percent decline in sperm counts between 1989 and 2009.

Sperm count is one measure of sperm quality, which has also been on the decline. Low sperm count increases the risk of infertility, cardiovascular problems, and cancers of the prostate or testicles. Read more

Exposure to chemicals could reduce sperm count

Exposure to chemicals could reduce sperm count

More reports detailing the damaging effects of exposure to chemicals have been released. Though important to both women and men, this particular finding is especially important to men. This includes their partners if they are wanting to start a family someday.

While much has been made about overheating laptops, bike seats that are narrow and antidepressants causing a reduction in the amount of a man's sperm, there is another, more sinister and less obvious issue. This is his exposure to chemicals on a frequent basis, including those chemicals that he might not even know about, or that he might not realize are harmful until they begin to make a difference in his life.

One way for men to be more aware of the potential issue is to know where he might come across these chemicals in his everyday life. There are two chemicals, in particular, that seem to have infiltrated almost every aspect of everyday life. These are bisphenol A, more popularly known as BPA, and phthalates.

BPA carriers

BPA is found in many plastics. Fortunately, as more effects become known about BPA http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=24435, many manufacturers are offering BPA-free alternatives. However, there are some surprising sources of BPA that a man might be exposed to during his everyday life, and not even realize the harm they can cause. For example, up to 40 percent of all cash register receipts have a BPA coating on them.

A more common way for a man to be exposed to BPAs is through canned foods, though. This is because almost all cans used in food production contain BPAs.

Phthalates carriers

Phthalates are commonly associated with vinyl products, such as shower curtains, plastic bags, vinyl flooring and more products that a typical man will interact with on a daily basis. In addition, phthalates are also found in many personal hygiene products including shampoos, soaps and cleaners.

Other sources of chemicals

There are a number of other chemicals that can cause a man's sperm count to plummet. PCBs are chemicals whose use has been banned. However, there is such a great amount that has accumulated in the environment that many of the most popular species of fish are laden with it. Read more