“Overweight Boys at Risk of Infertility: Research Findings and Prevention”

You may have caught it before. Men’s fertility is not doing too well these days and infertility seems to be on the rise. Researchers now think they have an explanation for this. Overweight in boys appears to affect fertility later in life.

Epidemiologist Shanna Swan previously called it a ‘fertility crisis’. Due to our living conditions and exposure to chemicals, the quality of the sperm would plummet. And other research shows that fertility problems continue to increase and the number of sperm in an ejaculate is decreasing worldwide. Researcher Rossella Cannarella tells against the scientific The sciences that seed production, compared to four decades ago, has halved. “And if this continues, it could fall even further in the near future. These are alarming data that threaten the reproduction of the human species.”

Childhood obesity and adult male fertility

As Swan warned, Cannarella also emphasizes that our current living situation leads to deteriorating sperm. Even now, exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals and an unhealthy lifestyle are putting things on edge.

But obesity in children also appears to be a clincher for male fertility later in life. The number of overweight children worldwide increased from 32 million to 42 million. And about 60 percent of today’s kids are expected to be obese by age 35.

Infertility in men

Cannarella and her co-researchers studied 268 children and young people. And collected data about their age, information about their testicles, Body Mass Index (BMI) and insulin resistance. Being overweight or obese clearly affected the size of the testicles. And smaller testicles are associated with poorer sperm production in adulthood. And with that an increased risk of infertility.

Cannarella explains that balls have a different effect on boys than on adult men. In children, the so-called sertoli cells play a major role. These cells guide the maturation of the sperm cells. The sertoli cells multiply in the younger years and during puberty the function of these cells decreases. This is when sperm production begins. If a low number of sertoli cells were active at the start of puberty, this results in a low number of sperm cells in adulthood. An unhealthy lifestyle can disrupt the multiplication of sertoli cells in childhood. Which can lead to irreversibly low sperm production in the adult male.

Healthy lifestyle for children

According to the researchers, controlling body weight in children can reduce fertility problems later in life. “Our findings hopefully lead to greater awareness among pediatricians and parents alike,” says Cannarella. “Parents will therefore have to ensure that their children lead a healthy lifestyle. Not only to guide them to good health, but also so that they can provide new life later in life.”

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