Dietary and environmental exposures as well as pharmaceuticals are all linked to the quality of male sperm, revealing that toxins in many substances we interact with affect sperm maturation and membrane function in men.
1) Cell Phones
Although most scientific and public attention on the issue of the safety of cell phone radiation has focused on evidence suggesting an increased risk of brain tumors, a little-noticed but growing body of research points to a new concern -- sperm damage. Using a mobile for as little as an hour a day cans "cook sperm" and lowering levels significantly. Professor Martha Dirnfeld, of the Technion University in Haifa, said: "We analysed the amount of active swimming sperm and the quality and found that it had been reduced. We think this is being caused by a heating of the sperm from the phone and by electromagnetic activity." The quality of sperm among men in Western countries is constantly decreasing and is considered crucial in 40 percent of the cases in which couples have difficulty conceiving a child. "If you wear a suit to work put the mobile in your chest pocket instead of close to your testes. It will reduce the risk of your sperm count dropping or dropping so much.
Although most scientific and public attention on the issue of the safety of cell phone radiation has focused on evidence suggesting an increased risk of brain tumors, a little-noticed but growing body of research points to a new concern -- sperm damage. Using a mobile for as little as an hour a day cans "cook sperm" and lowering levels significantly. Professor Martha Dirnfeld, of the Technion University in Haifa, said: "We analysed the amount of active swimming sperm and the quality and found that it had been reduced. We think this is being caused by a heating of the sperm from the phone and by electromagnetic activity." The quality of sperm among men in Western countries is constantly decreasing and is considered crucial in 40 percent of the cases in which couples have difficulty conceiving a child. "If you wear a suit to work put the mobile in your chest pocket instead of close to your testes. It will reduce the risk of your sperm count dropping or dropping so much.
2) Vaccines
Vaccines interfere directly with the Immune, Endocrine, Lymphatic & Nervous Systems of the body. There has been an alarming drop in the male sperm count over the past few decades; as much as a 50% reduction in most studies. Vaccines contain many ingredients that are potentially damaging to fertility including detergents like triton X-100, also known as octoxynol 10 which is a known spermicide and has been used in experiments to "strip" sperm so that they are no longer capable of fertilizing an egg. In a study in the Journal of Reproduction and Fertility, triton X-100 was listed in a table of "most potent spermicides" that would produce 100% stripping of human sperm and the dosages needed for such an effect. Polysorbate 80 (also referred to as Tween 80) is a type of detergent stabilizer commonly found in vaccines which is linked to infertility and a suspected mutagen of sperm.
Vaccines interfere directly with the Immune, Endocrine, Lymphatic & Nervous Systems of the body. There has been an alarming drop in the male sperm count over the past few decades; as much as a 50% reduction in most studies. Vaccines contain many ingredients that are potentially damaging to fertility including detergents like triton X-100, also known as octoxynol 10 which is a known spermicide and has been used in experiments to "strip" sperm so that they are no longer capable of fertilizing an egg. In a study in the Journal of Reproduction and Fertility, triton X-100 was listed in a table of "most potent spermicides" that would produce 100% stripping of human sperm and the dosages needed for such an effect. Polysorbate 80 (also referred to as Tween 80) is a type of detergent stabilizer commonly found in vaccines which is linked to infertility and a suspected mutagen of sperm.
3) GMO & Soy
Genetically Modified foods, according to researchers, are becoming a real problem when it comes to fertility, causing an influx in worldwide infertility rates. Since the 1970’s alone, sperm counts among the world’s male population have declined as much as 40-50%, according to some studies. GMO foods may be just one of the reasons, warn those studying the phenomenon. A study done by Russian scientists suggests that Genetically Modified Food may cause long term sterility, that is, sterility in second and third generations. The scientists used hamsters for this research and divided them into groups. One group of hamsters was fed a normal diet without any soy products, a second group was fed non-GMO (genetically modified organism) soy, the third ate GM soy and the fourth group was fed an even higher amount of GM soy than the third. when the researchers selected new breeding pairs from the offspring, the second generation had a slower growth rate and reached their sexual maturity later than normal. They also had a mortality rate, five times higher than the hamsters who didn’t eat soy. Even more shocking was the fact that nearly all of the third generation GM soy eating hamsters were sterile and also experienced hair growing inside their mouths. soy affects the quality and concentration of a male’s sperm, especially if taken in large quantities or if the subject was exposed to high levels in the womb. A study at Harvard University showed that there was a definite correlation between men with low sperm counts and a high intake of soy foods. The study revealed that the average sperm concentration of 80 to 120 million per millimeter of an adult male was more than halved when soy formed part of the diet. The case is more compelling in the study of obese males whose sperm levels are even lower owing to the estrogen making properties of fat tissue.
4) Phthalates
Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break. They are often called plasticizers. Some phthalates are used as solvents (dissolving agents) for other materials. A Harvard-led study found that the presence of phthalates in urine was associated with DNA damage to sperm in men. The study found that some phthalates may lower sperm count, stunt their motility, and harm their shape, problems that could affect fertility. Conducted by scientists from the Centers for Disease Control, Harvard School of Public Health, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, studies have shown that men with higher phthalate levels have reduced sperm counts, lower sperm motility and more deformed sperm. The levels observed in the men are well within the range of exposures seen in the American public. Different types of phthalates had different impacts.
5) Sodium Fluoride in Drinking Water
High doses of fluoride have repeatedly been found to interfere with the reproductive system of animals. Commonly observed effects in fluoride-exposed animals include: oxidative stress, damaged sperm, reduced sperm count, and reduced fertility. According to the authors of a recent study in the journal Reproductive Toxicology: "We conclude that fluoride treatment is associated with testicular disorders, which may be due to induction of oxidative stress in reproductive organs along with possible adverse effects of fluoride on pituitary testicular axis.The detailed mechanism of fluoride treatment on the male reproductive system has not been elucidated and will be the subject of future experiments "
Other factors that affect sperm count, health and function include processed meats, exposure to heavy metals, medical treatments (i.e. CT scan, X-rays, chemotheraoy, antibiotics), industrial chemicals, sunscreen, smoking and tight underwear.
Genetically Modified foods, according to researchers, are becoming a real problem when it comes to fertility, causing an influx in worldwide infertility rates. Since the 1970’s alone, sperm counts among the world’s male population have declined as much as 40-50%, according to some studies. GMO foods may be just one of the reasons, warn those studying the phenomenon. A study done by Russian scientists suggests that Genetically Modified Food may cause long term sterility, that is, sterility in second and third generations. The scientists used hamsters for this research and divided them into groups. One group of hamsters was fed a normal diet without any soy products, a second group was fed non-GMO (genetically modified organism) soy, the third ate GM soy and the fourth group was fed an even higher amount of GM soy than the third. when the researchers selected new breeding pairs from the offspring, the second generation had a slower growth rate and reached their sexual maturity later than normal. They also had a mortality rate, five times higher than the hamsters who didn’t eat soy. Even more shocking was the fact that nearly all of the third generation GM soy eating hamsters were sterile and also experienced hair growing inside their mouths. soy affects the quality and concentration of a male’s sperm, especially if taken in large quantities or if the subject was exposed to high levels in the womb. A study at Harvard University showed that there was a definite correlation between men with low sperm counts and a high intake of soy foods. The study revealed that the average sperm concentration of 80 to 120 million per millimeter of an adult male was more than halved when soy formed part of the diet. The case is more compelling in the study of obese males whose sperm levels are even lower owing to the estrogen making properties of fat tissue.
4) Phthalates
Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break. They are often called plasticizers. Some phthalates are used as solvents (dissolving agents) for other materials. A Harvard-led study found that the presence of phthalates in urine was associated with DNA damage to sperm in men. The study found that some phthalates may lower sperm count, stunt their motility, and harm their shape, problems that could affect fertility. Conducted by scientists from the Centers for Disease Control, Harvard School of Public Health, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, studies have shown that men with higher phthalate levels have reduced sperm counts, lower sperm motility and more deformed sperm. The levels observed in the men are well within the range of exposures seen in the American public. Different types of phthalates had different impacts.
5) Sodium Fluoride in Drinking Water
High doses of fluoride have repeatedly been found to interfere with the reproductive system of animals. Commonly observed effects in fluoride-exposed animals include: oxidative stress, damaged sperm, reduced sperm count, and reduced fertility. According to the authors of a recent study in the journal Reproductive Toxicology: "We conclude that fluoride treatment is associated with testicular disorders, which may be due to induction of oxidative stress in reproductive organs along with possible adverse effects of fluoride on pituitary testicular axis.The detailed mechanism of fluoride treatment on the male reproductive system has not been elucidated and will be the subject of future experiments "
Other factors that affect sperm count, health and function include processed meats, exposure to heavy metals, medical treatments (i.e. CT scan, X-rays, chemotheraoy, antibiotics), industrial chemicals, sunscreen, smoking and tight underwear.
This first appeared in Prevent Disease