Study Fruit and vegetables containing pesticide reason for low sperm quality count

Study Fruit and vegetables containing pesticide reason for low sperm quality count

Fruit and vegetable intake and their pesticide residues in relation to semen quality among men from a fertility clinic

The study, conducted by a team of Harvard researchers, is the first to examine the link between pesticide consumption and reproductive health.
Men who consume the pesticide residue found in many fruits and vegetables may have nearly 50 percent lower sperm count, according to a paper published in the journal Human Reproduction.

Study Question -
Is consumption of fruits and vegetables with high levels of pesticide residues associated with lower semen quality?

Summary Answer –
Consumption of fruits and vegetables with high levels of pesticide residues was associated with a lower total sperm count and a lower percentage of morphologically normal sperm among men presenting to a fertility clinic.

Among potential reproductive toxicants, pesticides may partially explain the decline in semen quality.

In the 1970s, a number of cases of infertility were discovered in a pesticide factory and the observed effects, including azoospermia, oligospermia and higher serum levels of FSH and LH, appeared to be related to the longer occupational exposure to 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) (Whorton et al., 1977).

More recent reports suggest that even low levels of pesticide exposure may have anti-androgenic effects (Kelce et al., 1994; Perry et al., 2011), potentially impairing human spermatogenesis.

Two systematic literature reviews concluded that pesticide exposure, whether occupational or environmental, might be linked to decreased semen quality parameters, particularly sperm concentration
(Perry, 2008; Martenies and Perry, 2013).

In this study, Scientist investigated the association of consumption of fruits and vegetables and their pesticide residues with semen quality. To accomplish this goal, we developed a novel approach to classify fruits and vegetables into high versus low-to-moderate pesticide residue groups based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pesticide Data Program (PDP), a surveillance program that provides nationally representative data on pesticide residues in the US food supply (US Department of Agriculture, 2006–2012).
Then evaluated the hypothesis that intake of fruits and vegetables with high pesticide residues is associated with poor semen quality (among men attending a fertility clinic).

In short about methods and materials –

The Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) Study is an ongoing prospective cohort study started in 2006 that recruits couples presenting to the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center (Boston, MA, USA).

Men are eligible if they are aged 18–55 years, without history of vasectomy, and are in a couple planning to use their own gametes for fertility treatment.

In April 2007, diet assessment using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was introduced into the study. For this analysis, we included men who completed the FFQ and subsequently provided semen samples up to 18 months after the completion of the FFQ.

Of 246 men who met eligibility criteria, 58 men were excluded due to missing information on dietary questionnaire, 27 men were excluded because their semen analyses predated dietary assessment, 5 men were excluded because semen analysis data were incomplete (4 missing morphology; 1 missing concentration) and 1 man was excluded due to azoospermia.

Of 385 semen samples from the 155 men retained in the analysis, we excluded 47 samples which were obtained more than 18 months after diet assessment to minimize misclassification due to changes in diet over time.

Men excluded from the analysis were not significantly different from included men in terms of age, BMI, race, physical activity and reproductive history.

After these exclusions, a total of 338 semen samples collected from 155 men between 2007 and 2012 were included in the analysis; 57 men contributed one sample to the analysis, 51 men provided two samples and the remaining 47 men provided three or more semen samples (maximum = 6 samples).

They used the annual reports from the USDA PDP to classify fruits and vegetables according to their average pesticide residue status in the US food supply
(US Department of Agriculture, 2006–2012).
The PDP reports included data on pesticide residues for 35 of the 38 fruit and vegetable items included on the FFQ; data on pesticide residues for apricots, Brussels sprouts and mixed vegetables, which accounted for 4% of total fruit and vegetable intake, were unavailable, thereby excluding these foods from the pesticide classification.

In conclusion, consumption of high pesticide residue fruits and vegetables was associated with lower total sperm count, ejaculate volume and percentage of morphologically normal sperm among men attending a fertility clinic. On the other hand, intake of low-to-moderate pesticide residue produce was positively related to sperm morphology. These findings suggest that exposure to pesticides used in agricultural production through diet may be sufficient to affect spermatogenesis in humans. However, because our assessment of pesticide residues was based on data from the PDP, rather than on direct measurement of pesticides, further confirmation of these findings is warranted.

Suggested reading

Fruit and vegetable intake and their pesticide residues in relation to semen quality among men from a fertility clinic



Reality views by sm –

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Tags – Pesticide Fruits Vegetable Sperm Quality Men