TV viewing, exercise habits may significantly affect sperm count

20 hours of TV weekly may nearly halve sperm count; 15 or more hours of moderate to vigorous exercise weekly may boost sperm count

2013-02-05

(Press-News.org) Boston, MA — Men's sperm quality may be significantly affected by their levels of physical activity, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). They found that healthy young men who were sedentary, as measured by hours of TV viewing, had lower sperm counts than those who were the most physically active.

"We know very little about how lifestyle may impact semen quality and male fertility in general so identifying two potentially modifiable factors that appear to have such a big impact on sperm counts is truly exciting," said lead author Audrey Gaskins, a doctoral student at HSPH.

The study will be published online February 4, 2013 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Gaskins and her colleagues analyzed the semen quality of 189 men between the ages of 18 to 22 participating in the Rochester Young Men's Study during 2009 at the University of Rochester. The men were asked about their physical activity and TV-watching habits, in addition to health issues that may affect their sperm quality, such as diet, stress levels, and smoking.

Results showed that men who watched more than 20 hours of TV weekly had a 44% lower sperm count than those who watched almost no TV. Men who exercised for 15 or more hours weekly at a moderate to vigorous rate had a 73% higher sperm count than those who exercised less than 5 hours per week. Mild exercise did not affect sperm quality.

"The majority of the previous studies on physical activity and semen quality had focused on professional marathon runners and cyclists, who reach physical activity levels that most people in the world cannot match. We were able to examine a range of physical activity that is more relevant to men in the general population," said Jorge Chavarro, senior author of the study and assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH.

### The authors caution that, while a reduced sperm count has been linked to lower fertility, it does not necessarily preclude men from fathering a child. Support for the study was provided by National Institutes of Health grants T32DK007703-16 and P30DK46200 and European Union DEER Grant 212844.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A 'nudge' can be the ethical choice

2013-02-05

HOUSTON -- (Feb. 6, 2013) – As patients and physicians share decision-making in choices among treatment options, decision aids such as videos, websites, pamphlets or books are coming to play an important role. However, in some cases, it may be ethical for the decision aids to provide a "nudge" toward a particular option, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in a report that appears in the journal Health Affairs. In general, decision aids are meant ...

Study highlights important role that patients play in determining outcomes

2013-02-05

EUGENE, Ore. — When it comes to health care, patients with the motivation, knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their own health have better health outcomes and incur fewer health care costs. Those are the findings of a study led by Judith Hibbard, a professor emerita in the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management at the University of Oregon. Hibbard and co-authors found that patients with the lowest level of "activation"— that is, those most lacking in the skills and confidence to be actively engaged in their health care — had average costs that were ...

Damaged blood vessels loaded with amyloid worsen cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease

2013-02-05

NEW YORK (February 4, 2013) -- A team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College has discovered that amyloid peptides are harmful to the blood vessels that supply the brain with blood in Alzheimer's disease -- thus accelerating cognitive decline by limiting oxygen-rich blood and nutrients. In their animal studies, the investigators reveal how amyloid-β accumulates in blood vessels and how such accumulation and damage might be ultimately prevented. Their study, published in the Feb. 4 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), ...

Researchers develop Rx for deafness, impaired balance in mouse model of Usher syndrome

2013-02-05

New Orleans, LA – Jennifer Lentz, PhD, Assistant Professor of Otorhinolaryngology & Biocommunications and a member of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, is the lead author of a paper reporting that hearing and balance can be rescued by a new therapy in a mouse model of Usher syndrome (Usher) that contains the mutation responsible for type 1C Usher. The results provide the first evidence that congenital deafness can be effectively overcome by treatment early in development to correct gene expression. The paper, Rescue of hearing ...

Monogamous birds read partner's food desires

2013-02-05

New research shows that male Eurasian Jays in committed relationships are able to share food with their female partner according to her current desire. The behaviour suggests the potential for 'state-attribution' in these birds – the ability to recognise and understand the internal life and psychological states of others. The research was carried out in Professor Nicola Clayton's Comparative Cognition lab at Cambridge University's Department of Psychology, and is published today in the journal PNAS. Researchers tested mated jays and separated males from females. ...

Birds may need a hand to weather climate change

2013-02-05

A new study led by Durham University and BirdLife International, shows that many bird species are likely to suffer under future climate change, and will require enhanced protection of important sites, better management of the wider countryside, and in some of the most extreme cases may need to be physically moved to climatically suitable areas to help them survive. The priority, the researchers say, is for stronger protection and effective management of networks of important sites for conservation which currently support priority species and could offer new habitat for ...

Research suggests meerkat predator-scanning behaviour is altruistic

2013-02-05

VIDEO: In order to spot potential predators, adult meerkats often climb to a higher vantage point or stand on their hind legs. If a predator is detected, they use several different... Click here for more information. In order to spot potential predators, adult meerkats often climb to a higher vantage point or stand on their hind legs. If a predator is detected, they use several different alarm calls to warn the rest of the group. New Cambridge research shows that they are ...

Vitamin C supplements linked to kidney stones

2013-02-05

New research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that men who take vitamin C supplements regularly run a higher risk of developing kidney stones. The study, which is published in the scientific periodical JAMA Internal Medicine, did not however observe an increased risk between kidney stones and multivitamins – which contain lower concentrations of vitamin C. The research is based on data from a large population-based study of men from Västmanland and Örebro counties, who were monitored for 11 years. A total of 23,355 men were identified who had no history of ...

Injection-free vaccination technique could address global vaccine challenge for HIV, malaria

2013-02-05

Scientists at King's College London have demonstrated the ability to deliver a dried live vaccine to the skin without a traditional needle, and shown for the first time that this technique is powerful enough to enable specialised immune cells in the skin to kick-start the immunising properties of the vaccine. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers say although it is an early study this important technical advance offers a potential solution to the challenges of delivering live ...

Chemical reaction keeps stroke-damaged brain from repairing itself

2013-02-05

LA JOLLA, Calif., February 4, 2013 – Nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule produced in the brain, can damage neurons. When the brain produces too much nitric oxide, it contributes to the severity and progression of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute recently discovered that nitric oxide not only damages neurons, it also shuts down the brain's repair mechanisms. Their study was published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of February 4. "In this study, we've uncovered ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Uncomfortable bladder tests for female incontinence can be avoided, say researchers

Waterjet surgery for an enlarged prostate can offer relief, without compromising sexual enjoyment

Study uncovers link between childhood overweight and obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adulthood

IU professor helps pioneer groundbreaking light-driven method to create key drug compounds

Origin of life: How microbes laid the foundation for complex cells

How the brain links related memories formed close in time

Case study: Bartonella, babesia, found in brain tissue of child with seizures

“Concierge” screening for kidney transplant candidates leads to better outcomes, UNM researcher finds

New study sheds light on how bacteria ‘vaccinate’ themselves with genetic material from dormant viruses

Four advances that could change tuberculosis treatment

Obesity Action Coalition & The Obesity Society send letter to FDA on behalf of more than 20 leading organizations & providers urging enforcement of compounding regulations