ObjectiveTo explore the associations between different dietary patterns and semen quality in a general Asian male population.MethodsCross-sectional study. Healthy Taiwanese men aged 18 years or older who participated in a standard medical screening program from 2008-2013 run by a private firm were included in this study. Semen parameters including sperm concentration (SC), total sperm motility (TSM), progressive motility (PRM) and normal sperm morphology (NSM) were recorded. A dietary questionnaire was used to categorize the participants into 5 groups: “Healthy diet”, “Western diet”, “High-carbohydrate diet”, “High sweet snacks & sugar-sweetened drinks” and “High-sodium diet”.ResultsA total of 7282 men completed the questionnaire regarding dietary pattern, and examination of anthropometric indexes was performed and laboratory data were obtained. A high intake of a “Western diet” resulted in statistically linear declines of SC and NSM (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001). Similarly, a greater intake of “High sweet snacks & sugar-sweetened drinks” was associated with a lower SC (P = 0.001). Increased intake of a “High-carbohydrate diet” was related to higher prevalences of abnormal TSM and PRM (P = 0.012 and P = 0.025). Similarly, a greater intake of a “High-sodium diet” was correlated with an elevated prevalence of abnormal NSM (P = 0.035).ConclusionsThis study showed that a greater intake of a “Western diet” is associated with poorer SC and NSM, a “High sweet snacks and sugar-sweetened drinks” intake is correlated with a lower SC, and high-carbohydrate food is related to elevated prevalences of abnormal TSM and PRM.

This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI), other anthropometric indexes and semen quality in a general male population in Taiwan. In this cross-sectional cohort study, the study cohort consisted of 7941 healthy male individuals aged 18 years or older who participated in a standard medical screening program run by a private firm from January 2008 to May 2013. Semen parameters including sperm concentration (SC), total sperm motility (TSM), progressive motility (PRM), and normal sperm morphology (NSM) were recorded. Anthropometric indexes including BMI, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and body fat percentage were measured. A total of 7630 men were enrolled for the final analysis, of whom 68.5% had a normal weight distribution and 31.4% were overweight or obese. Total sperm motility, progressive motility, normal sperm morphology and sperm concentration showed a statistically linear decline with increasing age (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p = 0.004). Sperm concentration showed a significantly negatively linear association with BMI (p = 0.005), and normal sperm morphology showed an inverse association with BMI and waist-to-height ratio (p < 0.001 and p = 0.004). The prevalence of abnormal total sperm motility, progressive motility, normal sperm morphology and sperm concentration increased with increasing age (p = 0.011, p < 0.001, p < 0.001 and p = 0.002). Lower normal sperm morphology and sperm concentration were associated with increasing body adiposity (p<0.05). No relationship between obesity and sperm motility was identified.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of metformin supplementation on metabolic dysfunction, testicular antioxidant capacity, apoptosis, inflammation and spermatogenesis in male mice with high-fat and high-cholesterol diet-induced obesity. Forty male C57BL/6 mice were fed a normal diet (NC group, n = 10) or a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet (HFC group, n = 30) for 24 weeks, and mice randomly chosen from the HFC group were later treated with metformin for the final 8 weeks of HFC feeding (HFC + Met group, n = 15). Compared with the HFC group, the obese mice supplemented with metformin exhibited improved blood cholesterol, glucose and insulin resistance. The HFC group diminishes in the sperm motility and normal sperm morphology, while the poorer maturity of testicular spermatogenesis was improved by metformin treatment. The HFC group exhibited a higher estradiol level and a lower 17β-HSD protein expression. Further analyses showed that metformin treatment increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase and reduced lipid peroxidation. Nevertheless, both the HFC and HFC + Met groups exhibited increased expressions of apoptosis and inflammation proteins in the testis. Metformin treatment ameliorated obesity-induced poor testicular spermatogenesis and semen quality through increasing the testosterone level and antioxidant capacity.

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