He physical exercise It is a very positive habit for our health, to which scientists continue to find benefits that affect different systems of the body. Along these lines, a study carried out by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (affiliated with Harvard University, in the United States) has found that men who work lifting heavy objects tend to have a higher sperm count, which constitutes one of the main indicators of male fertility.
more sex hormones
The work is part of the cohort EARTH (Environment and Reproductive Health), a collaboration between the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the Mass General Brigham Center that seeks to assess the effect of different environmental and lifestyle factors on fertility. This project has collected samples and survey data from more than 1,500 men and women. Thus, this study is part of a subset of these participants, which includes 377 couples seeking treatment at a fertility center.
Based on these data, the media points out The Harvard Gazette, the researchers found that men who reported lifting heavy objects on a regular basis as part of their job had up to 44% higher sperm count and up to 46% higher sperm concentration in semen than those who had less physically demanding jobs. In the same way, they also had higher levels of both male (testosterone) and female (estrogen) sex hormones, something that could explain the increased sperm production.
The authors’ hypothesis, in this case, is that physical exercise produces a increased secretion of testosteroneand that the body converts the excess into estrogen (which is a common mechanism by which the body compensates for hormonal imbalances.
In any case, infertility in a couple is a complex issue that can have many different origins. In up to 40% of cases, it can be linked to masculine factors, so finding various possible causes It can be the key to dealing with it.
References
BWH Communications. Study shows higher sperm counts in men who lift heavy objects. The Harvard Gazette (2023). Accessed online at https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/02/men-who-lift-heavy-objects-have-higher-sperm-counts/ on 03/03/2023