Fast food’s impact on male fertility

American men are becoming less fertile as a population over the decades.  Men have a significantly lower sperm count than they did 50 years ago.  A great deal of research is directed towards identifying potential reasons for this trend to see if there is a way it may be corrected.  Dr. Parviz Kavoussi was recently interviewed regarding a recent study that suggests that the American fast food diet may be responsible for this.  This study included nearly 3,000 men and they were stratified by dietary patterns.  Men who ate what was termed the “western diet” including pizza, processed meat, chips, sweets, and energy drinks were found to have a significantly lower sperm count than men who ate what was termed “the prudent diet”, which was described as a diet including chicken, fish, vegetables, fruit, and a lot of water.  Dr. Kavoussi states, “Beyond that, men who ate the western diet were found to have a lower inhibin-B level.  This is a marker for Sertoli cell function, which are the supportive cells in the testicles important for sperm production.  The concern with this finding is that it may be an indicator that the damage done to cells, potentially by the dietary lifestyle, may not be reversible, but further studies need to be performed to further evaluate this.”

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