Physical Activity, Television Watching and Semen Quality
Physical Activity, Television Watching and Semen Quality
Background Semen quality appears to have declined over the past decades but reasons for this decline are unresolved. The concurrent increase in sedentary behaviour may be a contributing factor. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of physical activity and television (TV) watching with sperm parameters in a population of young, healthy men.
Methods Men aged 18–22 years (n=189) from the Rochester Young Men's Study (2009–2010) participated in this analysis. Physical activity (h/week of moderate and vigorous exercise) and TV watching (h/week of TV, video or DVD watching) over the past 3 months were assessed via questionnaire. Semen quality was assessed by sperm concentration, motility, morphology and total sperm count.
Results Sperm concentration and total sperm count were directly related to physical activity after multivariable adjustment (p-trend=0.01 and 0.04); men in the highest quartile of moderate-to-vigorous activity (≥15 h/week) had 73% (95% CI 15% to 160%) higher sperm concentration than men in the lowest quartile (<5 h/week). TV watching was inversely associated with sperm concentration and total sperm count in multivariable analyses (p-trend=0.05 and 0.06); men in the highest quartile of TV watching (>20 h/week) had 44% (95% CI 15 to 63%) lower sperm concentration than men in the lowest quartile (0 h/week). These measures of physical and leisure time activities were not significantly associated with sperm motility or morphology.
Conclusions In this population of healthy men, higher moderate-to-vigorous activity and less TV watching were significantly associated with higher total sperm count and sperm concentration.
There has been much discussion about whether semen quality has been declining over the past decades. Despite the inconsistent findings, the majority of data support a decline in sperm concentration in most Western countries and the causes of the observed decline are still debated. One possible explanation could be the concurrent decrease in physical activity and increase in sedentary behaviour over the same time frame. Physical activity has been associated with many health benefits, including reduced risks of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Yet, strenuous exercise has also been proposed as a risk factor for male factor infertility, based largely on data showing lower testosterone levels and semen quality among long-distance runners and cyclists. Past studies, however, have largely evaluated the relation between exercise and semen quality in a limited range of activities and focused exclusively on high-intensity training. The relation of moderate levels of physical activity with semen quality has yet to be thoroughly evaluated.
Television (TV) watching, on the other hand, has been associated with many detrimental health consequences, but its effects on semen quality remain unexplored. Substantial and persistent increase in scrotal temperature can, in experimental settings, markedly disturb sperm production. While sedentary work has been correlated to a moderate increase in scrotal temperatures, estimates of its impact on semen quality have been inconsistent. Physical inactivity has also been linked to increased oxidative stress levels which could play an important role in the pathophysiology of male factor infertility.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships between semen quality and both physical activity and TV watching among young, healthy men. We hypothesised that increased physical activity was associated with higher sperm count, concentration and motility, and a lower proportion of morphologically abnormal sperm. Furthermore, we hypothesised that increased TV watching time was associated with decreased semen quality parameters.
Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
Background Semen quality appears to have declined over the past decades but reasons for this decline are unresolved. The concurrent increase in sedentary behaviour may be a contributing factor. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of physical activity and television (TV) watching with sperm parameters in a population of young, healthy men.
Methods Men aged 18–22 years (n=189) from the Rochester Young Men's Study (2009–2010) participated in this analysis. Physical activity (h/week of moderate and vigorous exercise) and TV watching (h/week of TV, video or DVD watching) over the past 3 months were assessed via questionnaire. Semen quality was assessed by sperm concentration, motility, morphology and total sperm count.
Results Sperm concentration and total sperm count were directly related to physical activity after multivariable adjustment (p-trend=0.01 and 0.04); men in the highest quartile of moderate-to-vigorous activity (≥15 h/week) had 73% (95% CI 15% to 160%) higher sperm concentration than men in the lowest quartile (<5 h/week). TV watching was inversely associated with sperm concentration and total sperm count in multivariable analyses (p-trend=0.05 and 0.06); men in the highest quartile of TV watching (>20 h/week) had 44% (95% CI 15 to 63%) lower sperm concentration than men in the lowest quartile (0 h/week). These measures of physical and leisure time activities were not significantly associated with sperm motility or morphology.
Conclusions In this population of healthy men, higher moderate-to-vigorous activity and less TV watching were significantly associated with higher total sperm count and sperm concentration.
Introduction
There has been much discussion about whether semen quality has been declining over the past decades. Despite the inconsistent findings, the majority of data support a decline in sperm concentration in most Western countries and the causes of the observed decline are still debated. One possible explanation could be the concurrent decrease in physical activity and increase in sedentary behaviour over the same time frame. Physical activity has been associated with many health benefits, including reduced risks of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Yet, strenuous exercise has also been proposed as a risk factor for male factor infertility, based largely on data showing lower testosterone levels and semen quality among long-distance runners and cyclists. Past studies, however, have largely evaluated the relation between exercise and semen quality in a limited range of activities and focused exclusively on high-intensity training. The relation of moderate levels of physical activity with semen quality has yet to be thoroughly evaluated.
Television (TV) watching, on the other hand, has been associated with many detrimental health consequences, but its effects on semen quality remain unexplored. Substantial and persistent increase in scrotal temperature can, in experimental settings, markedly disturb sperm production. While sedentary work has been correlated to a moderate increase in scrotal temperatures, estimates of its impact on semen quality have been inconsistent. Physical inactivity has also been linked to increased oxidative stress levels which could play an important role in the pathophysiology of male factor infertility.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships between semen quality and both physical activity and TV watching among young, healthy men. We hypothesised that increased physical activity was associated with higher sperm count, concentration and motility, and a lower proportion of morphologically abnormal sperm. Furthermore, we hypothesised that increased TV watching time was associated with decreased semen quality parameters.
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