A, modern bad lifestyle
1, smoking
Tobacco has been accompanied by human beings for hundreds of years, and tobacco consumption plays an important role in human society. Burning tobacco will produce a variety of toxic and harmful substances, including chemical carcinogens, is one of the main risk factors for a variety of diseases and tumors. Recent studies have shown that smoking has a detrimental effect on male fertility, with smokers having significantly lower sperm density, sperm motility, and normal-form sperm rates than non-smokers.
(1) The effect of smoking on male gonads and sex hormones
Long-term heavy smoking, a variety of harmful substances in cigarettes will gradually accumulate in the body, interfering with the microcirculation of the testes and the exchange of substances with the environment, resulting in testicular edema, bruising and degenerative necrosis, a decrease in the number of testicular interstitial cells and germ cells, damage to supporting cells, a decrease in testosterone production, and easy deformation or loss of spermatozoa in the spermatogenic tubules.
(2) Effects of smoking on epididymal function
Smoking can cause a significant decrease in the content of α-glucosidase and L-carnitine, which are functional markers secreted by the epididymis, and affect the maturation process of spermatozoa in the epididymis, leading to a decrease in sperm vitality and fertilization ability. Smoking also causes constriction of penile arteries and changes in epididymal hemodynamics, which hinders spermatogenesis and maturation.
(3) Effects of smoking on sperm DNA
The integrity of sperm DNA is necessary for the correct transmission of genetic information, and damage to sperm DNA can lead to male infertility. Mutagens in tobacco can cross the blood-testis barrier and lead to sperm DNA damage and mutations through mechanisms such as oxidative stress. Compared to non-smokers, smokers have a 50% increase in 8-OHdG (a product of oxidative DNA damage) in their semen.
2, cell phones and computers
The potential adverse effects of electromagnetic waves generated by cell phones and computers on the human and animal brain, heart, endocrine system and DNA have been reported. Electromagnetic waves alter the brain’s normal brain waves, leading to difficulty concentrating, fatigue and headaches, causing sleep disorders; increasing resting blood pressure and reducing melatonin production; in addition they are also associated with DNA strand breaks.
Two foreign scholars have recently found separately that cell phone use can lead to a decrease in sperm count, viability, survival and percent normal form, and that this adverse effect worsens with the increase in daily cell phone use time. The effect of cell phones and computers on male fertility may be the specific effect of electromagnetic waves themselves or the thermomolecular effect of electromagnetic waves.
3, emotional tension
Emotional stress can affect male sexual function and semen quality. This effect may be caused by the direct impact on the autonomic nervous system, neuroendocrine system and immune system, as well as the indirect impact of changes in health status caused by changes in behavioral habits. Testicular biopsies obtained from war criminals awaiting sentencing have shown that being in a state of extreme stress can lead to the development of azoospermia.
4. Saunas and hot baths
The most appropriate temperature for sperm production is 35.6°C to 36.0°C. Men who often take baths or showers with very hot water, or spend too much time in saunas, will have reduced sperm production or dead sperm due to the heat in the scrotum. Therefore, young people should be careful with sauna baths, the usual bath water temperature should be about 34 ℃ is appropriate.
5. Other
Excessive intake of alcohol and coffee, staying up late, irregular life, excessive consumption of fried food and fast food, obesity, etc.
Second, the possible preventive measures
1.Lifestyle change
Quit smoking, alcohol (coffee), increase the intake of vegetables and fruits, lose weight, reduce the frequency of cell phone and computer use, relieve emotional tension, etc.
2. Antioxidant substance supplementation treatment represented by carnitine.
3. Chinese medicine antioxidant treatment.