Diabetes reduces men’s fertility
May 22, 2007
Diabetes damage a man’s sperms and may reduce fertility, UK researchers say.
Diabetes damage a man’s sperms and may reduce fertility, UK researchers say.
Tests showed DNA in sperm from diabetic men had more signs of damage than in men without the condition. Defective sperm DNA is one cause of male infertility, pregnancy failure and miscarriage, but the implications for sperm affected by diabetes is unknown.
Writing in Human Reproduction, the team said the findings were worrying given the rising rates of diabetes.
The study of 56 sperm samples is the first to compare the quality of DNA in sperm from men with and without diabetes. Around 52% of the DNA in the sperm cells was fragmented in diabetic men compared with 32% in men without the condition.
Semen volume was significantly less in diabetic men, but there were no significant differences in sperm concentration, structure of the sperm or their ability to move.
Although the men in the study had type 1 diabetes – where the body does not produce insulin – the researchers have found the same DNA damage in sperm from men with type 2 diabetes – a more common form where the body does not produce enough insulin or does not respond properly to it.
BBC
Tests showed DNA in sperm from diabetic men had more signs of damage than in men without the condition. Defective sperm DNA is one cause of male infertility, pregnancy failure and miscarriage, but the implications for sperm affected by diabetes is unknown.
Writing in Human Reproduction, the team said the findings were worrying given the rising rates of diabetes.
The study of 56 sperm samples is the first to compare the quality of DNA in sperm from men with and without diabetes. Around 52% of the DNA in the sperm cells was fragmented in diabetic men compared with 32% in men without the condition.
Semen volume was significantly less in diabetic men, but there were no significant differences in sperm concentration, structure of the sperm or their ability to move.
Although the men in the study had type 1 diabetes – where the body does not produce insulin – the researchers have found the same DNA damage in sperm from men with type 2 diabetes – a more common form where the body does not produce enough insulin or does not respond properly to it.
BBC