WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Men who were chubby as boys could have infertility issues in maturity, in line with recent research.
Researchers studying the difficulty of male infertility, often a mystery, checked out health data from 268 young people between 2 and 18 years of age. That they had been referred to the University of Catania in Sicily for weight control.
“Although the prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide, the impact of obesity and associated metabolic disorders on testicular growth will not be well-known,” said study co-author Dr. Rossella Cannarella, a research fellow on the Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute in Cleveland.
For the study, published May 10 within the European Journal of Endocrinology, the researchers collected data on testicular volume, body mass index and insulin resistance. They found that boys with normal weight had testicular volume that was 1.5 times higher than those that were chubby or obese before puberty.
Young people within the study with normal insulin levels had 1.5 to 2 times higher testicular volume in comparison with those with hyperinsulinemia, which is usually related to type 2 diabetes.
Lower testicular volume is a predictor of poorer sperm production in maturity, the researchers said.
About 48 million couples struggled with infertility in 2010, in line with the World Health Organization. Male infertility is a contributor in about half of all infertility cases, researchers said, but its cause is usually a mystery.
Existing research has pointed to decreasing sperm concentration and total sperm count over the past 40 years. Over that point, childhood obesity has increased worldwide to 42 million.
Researchers also noted that surveys from Italy have found testicular shrinkage in almost 1 / 4 of 18- and 19-year-olds. Various environmental conditions, including exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and more sedentary lifestyles have been among the many changes over the past few many years.
Researchers who produced this recent study said weight reduction in childhood could help prevent infertility later in life.
“On this study, we found that being chubby or obese was related to a lower peri-pubertal testicular volume,” Cannarella said in a journal news release, adding that obesity-related conditions including insulin resistance have been found to influence testicular volume before and after puberty.
“Subsequently, we speculate that more careful control of body weight in childhood could represent a prevention strategy for maintaining testicular function later in life,” she said.
More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more on male infertility.
SOURCE: European Journal of Endocrinology, news release, May 10, 2023