Boys who are overweight often have a smaller testicular volume, which puts them at risk of infertility in adulthood.
That is the conclusion of a study carried out by seven researchers from the University of Catania (Italy) and published this Wednesday in the 'European Journal of Endocrinology', published by Oxford University Press.
Infertility affects both the psychological health and the economic and social life of people of childbearing age.. This situation affected 48 million couples in 2010.
Although male infertility is often overlooked by observers, researchers believe it contributes to couple infertility in about half of cases.. However, in most of them, the reason for male infertility remains unclear.
According to a German study that evaluated infertility in more than 20,000 male patients referred to a fertility center, a diagnosis could not be made in around 70% of them.. A significant percentage of childless male patients have no explanation for their infertility.
A trend towards decreasing sperm concentration and total sperm count has also been indicated over the past 40 years.. In parallel, the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased worldwide from 32 to 42 million. And it is estimated that 60% of today's children will be obese by the time they are 35 years old.
MORE WEIGHT CARE
Researchers from the University of Catania collected data on testicular volume, age, body mass index, and insulin resistance in 268 boys and adolescents.. They found that boys with normal weight had a testicular volume 1.5 times greater than those who were overweight or obese at peripubertal age.
Boys and adolescents in the study with normal insulin levels had 1.5- to 2-fold greater testicular volume compared with those with hyperinsulinemia, a condition often associated with type 2 diabetes in which patients have higher levels of insulin. insulin in the blood.
Thus, those with overweight or obesity, hyperinsulinemia, or insulin resistance showed lower testicular volume than their healthy peers.. Since lower testicular volume predicts poorer sperm production in later life, the researchers believe that weight loss could help patients avoid infertility in the future.
“Although the prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide, the impact of obesity and associated metabolic disorders on testicular growth is not well understood,” according to Rossella Cannarella, co-author of the study.
Cannarella concludes that being overweight or obese is associated with a lower peripubertal testicular volume.. “In addition, obesity-related comorbidities such as hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance have been found to influence testicular volume before and after puberty.. Therefore, more careful control of body weight in childhood could represent a preventive strategy to maintain testicular function later in life.”