Originally published September 30 2005
Research suggests men wishing to be fathers should avoid pollution and cigarettes
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Researchers at the University of Sheffield say that men who want to father children should avoid air pollution, alcohol and cigarette smoke, as well as exercise and eat healthy foods before conception, as all of these things directly affect the health of the male's sperm, reports the BBC.
A study in Human Reproduction found a significant link between exposure to periods of high air pollution and damaged sperm among men.
Although the damage is reversible, the study highlights the importance of staying healthy when trying for a baby.
Fertility experts advise fathers-to-be to exercise and eat healthily.
They should also moderate their alcohol intake and ideally quit smoking.
Mounting evidence suggests that traffic pollution reduces the quality of sperm in men.
The latest study looked at young men from Teplice in the Czech Republic - an area that has considerably higher air pollution during winter because of coal-burning power stations and fossil fuels burned to heat homes.
The sperm quality of the 35 men was monitored throughout the year for two years.
During the periods of higher air pollution sperm quality went down significantly.
This, in turn, could make it harder for a couple to conceive and increase the risk of miscarriage, they said.
However, the damage appears to be transient and so avoiding such toxins allows new sperm to develop normally.
"If it created permanent damage you would tend to see sperm quality go down over time," they said.
Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in Andrology at the University of Sheffield and Secretary of the British Fertility Society, said: "We are uncovering more and more evidence that sperm DNA can be damaged by a variety of environmental or occupational factors.
"This is the first real evidence that air pollution can damage sperm DNA, but it reassuring that the effect is reversible.
"Men attempting to conceive with their partner need to be alert to what may be damaging their sperm DNA and minimize their exposure to chemicals at home or in the workplace.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml