About the episode
One in six people will experience infertility. It is estimated that in 2010 this caused at least 48 million couples who could not have children without help.
When looking at infertility in men, the cause is unknown in a large proportion of cases. However, recent studies suggest that the number of sperm cells produced and possibly their quality is declining. Parallel to this downward trend, there is an upward trend. One that shows that obesity is still increasing. There are researchers who expect that 60 percent of today’s children will be obese by the time they are 35.
To better study this link, researchers have now looked at testicular volume, weight, age, BMI and insulin resistance in 268 children and young adults between the ages of 2 and 18. They saw that the testicle volume was lower in overweight boys and boys who had problems with their insulin production than in their healthy peers.
The volume of the testicle again has a link with sperm production. And low volume is bad news, according to the researchers. Overweight in children may therefore – in addition to the more well-known disadvantages for their health – also have an effect on their fertility later in life. For that reason too, it would be important to prevent obesity at a young age.
Read more about the research here: Overweight boys more likely to be infertile men.
2023-05-14 12:01:16
#Overweight #boys #infertile #life
