Associations between Meat and Vegetable Intake, Cooking Methods, and Asthenozoospermia: A Hospital-Based Case–Control Study in China

Abstract

Background: The role of meat and vegetable intake in the development of asthenozoospermia has been controversial, and the role of cooking methods for meat and vegetables in the association has yet to be determined. The present study aimed to illuminate the relationship between the consumption and cooking methods of meat and vegetables and the risk of asthenozoospermia. Methods: In this hospital-based case–control study, we enrolled 552 patients with asthenozoospermia and 585 healthy controls. Dietary information was assessed using a validated self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Asthenozoospermia was diagnosed according to the fifth edition of the WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen. Results: Participants in the highest tertile of total meat and unprocessed meat intake had a 44% and 39% lower risk of asthenozoospermia than those in the lowest tertile (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.87 and OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.93), respectively. Participants with the highest processed meat consumption showed higher risk (OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.06). Raw vegetable consumption was negatively associated with the risk of asthenozoospermia (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.45, 0.98). The stir-frying cooking method for meat was associated with increased risk of asthenozoospermia (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.46). Conclusions: Intake of total meat, unprocessed meat, and raw vegetable may reduce asthenozoospermia risk, while higher consumption of processed meat may increase the risk. Cooking methods may play a role in these associations. These findings need to be confirmed in large and prospective cohort studies.

Phytochemical consumption and the risk of teratozoospermia: findings from a hospital-based case–control study in China

“…Second, dietary intake was collected through a semi-quantitative FFQ, which might lead to incorrect estimates of various nutrient intakes. However, the FFQ used in our study was verified by previous studies, with high validity and reliability ( Liu et al , 2022; Cui et al ., 2023 ). Third, the cases and controls of the present study were not a random sample of the entire target population, which could lead to admission rate bias.…”

“…The validity and reliability of the FFQ have been verified in our previous studies ( Liu et al , 2021 ; Wang et al , 2021 ). For most food items, the Spearman correlation coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficients for reproducibility were above 0.5, and the correlation coefficients were 0.3–0.7 between the FFQ and weighed diet records ( Liu et al , 2022 ; Cui et al, 2023 ). All participants were asked to report their usual intake frequency of each food item with seven response options: almost never, two to three times per month, one time per week, two to three times per week, four to six times per week, one to two times per day, and more than two times per day.…”

“…All participants were required to complete a structured and self-administered health status questionnaire through face-to-face interviews by trained professional personnel. We further excluded participants with incomplete information (n = 70), an implausible total caloric intake (<800 or >4200 kcal/day) (n = 18), and history of varicocele (n = 3) ( Cui et al , 2022 ; Liu et al , 2022 ). Finally, 146 cases and 581 controls were eligible for the final analysis ( Fig.…”

Changes in food quality and characterization under thermal accumulation conditions during Chinese cooking

“…At the same time, there is a large difference between the Z value of this intersection point and the above Z value range (50 ~ 58.55°C), showing the difference in sensitivity between human sensory and physical and chemical measurement methods. From the reported results (Li, 2015 ), it is found that the measurement results of the instrument and the sensory measurement of the human being are also quite different, and further research is needed.…”

Diet and its association with reduced semen quality

“…Glycation end products can also be delivered to the body from outside, especially in food. Thermal treatment causes the formation of new AGEs, particullary in grilling, baking and frying, which may especially cause reduced sperm motility [17]. The study by Nevin et al analyzed the effect of AGE on sperm damage.…”