Body Weight Has an Impact on Male Reproductive Health

Male reproductive health, like that of females, is complex and affected by many different factors. Among them, body weight plays an important role. A new analysis of reputable research has determined that having obesity or even being overweight could have a negative impact on this component of a man’s wellness.

What Did the Male Reproductive Health Research Say?

A meta analysis and systematic review of over 50 studies published in medical journals have indicated that obesity and being overweight was associated with several negative male reproductive health factors. These include lower semen volume, lower sperm quality, reduced sperm count and decreased sperm concentration.

“The present systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the associations between male adiposity and sperm quality or sex-related hormones,” said the authors of this study, which was published in the Obesity Reviews journal.  They went on to explain that their analysis findings showed that there was a link between a man’s weight status and his male reproductive health including sperm and hormonal parameters. 

This indicated that weight loss could potentially improve male reproductive health through better sperm parameters, assisting with natural conception and live birth rate.

How Was the Research Conducted?

The researchers examined the study data associated with adiposity and male reproductive health found in the PubMed and EMBASE databased through to 2019.  Using those databases, the researchers identified 169 publications that met their initial criteria for the search.

They further narrowed their search requirements, bringing the number of studies for consideration down to 60 for qualitative analysis.  Of those, 28 were also applied to quantitative analysis.

From there, the researchers used the existing male reproductive health data to evaluate the link between reproductive hormone levels and semen quality to different body weight related exposures.

They were able to find solid links through the research indicating that body weight does play a role in a man’s reproductive wellness.  These findings are promising as they present an opportunity to help people seeking reproductive health treatments.  The reason is that it offers healthy lifestyle changes resulting in weight loss as a potential meaningful and effective therapy to assist a man whose semen quality and reproductive hormone levels may benefit from such a recommendation due to the presence of obesity or being overweight.

It is important to note that while the research did find a correlation between male reproductive health and excessive body weight such as being overweight or having obesity, it does not claim that unhealthy body weight is the cause of semen quality or reproductive hormone problems.