Metabolic syndrome and semen quality in adult population

Abstract

Background Male obesity is suggested to impact negatively on male fertility and semen quality in numerous studies. However, previous literatures regarding health effects of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) on semen quality are rare and inconsistent. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between MetS and sperm parameters in a Taiwanese reproductive‐age male population. Methods A total of 8395 men who attended a private medical screening program in Taiwan from 2010 to 2016 were included in this cross‐sectional study. Semen analysis was assessed in accordance with the WHO guidelines and included sperm concentration, total motility, progressive motility, and morphology. MetS was defined by the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Third Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP ATP III) criteria with the Asian cutoff for waist circumference (WC). The associations between MetS and semen analysis were examined by multivariable linear regressions. Results After fully adjusting for pertinent covariables, MetS was significantly associated with a reduced percentage of sperm normal morphology. Blood pressure, WC, and serum glucose had a significantly negative association with sperm normal morphology. Individuals with an increased number of MetS components had a closer association with reduced sperm progressive motility and the percentage of normal morphology. Conclusion MetS and its components exhibited deleterious effects on semen quality among reproductive‐age men. Further studies are warranted to explore these pathophysiologic relationship and underlying mechanisms.

Metabolic Syndrome and Reproduction

“…Overall, six studies [55,[64][65][66]68,69] found a lower sperm motility (regardless of the type of motility considered) in men with MetS than in those without, while three [65,66,69] reported a lower "sperm progressive motility" in MetS men. Of note, one study [66] found a lower sperm progressive motility in infertile men with MetS than in fertile men without, but no difference comparing fertile men with and without MetS (Tables 3 and 5).…”

“…The rest of the studies (Tables 3 and 5) Tables 3 and 5). Four studies [47,56,58,68] found a lower normal morphology in men with MetS than in those without. One study [66] found a lower normal sperm morphology in infertile men with MetS than in fertile men without MetS, but no difference in sperm morphology comparing fertile men with and without MetS (Tables 3 and 5).…”

“…In 2020, four studies were published on the impact of MetS on male fertility [61][62][63]68]. Chen et al [68] evaluated a large sample (n = 8395) of men from the general population. A comparison between 885 men with MetS (IDF&NHLBI criteria) and 7510 men without showed a lower total (but not progressive) sperm motility and normal morphology in MetS subjects.…”

“…Out of 15 studies, six evaluated "sperm motility" ("total" ( [64,65,68,69]) or "not specified" ( [55,59]) motility) ( Tables 3 and 5), and 13 evaluated "sperm progressive motility" (Tables 3 and 5).…”

Effects of Metabolic Syndrome on Semen Quality and Circulating Sex Hormones: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The search strategy identified 5,272 records: 702 from PubMed, 4,554 from Embase, and 16 from other sources (Figure 1). After eliminating duplicated and irrelevant records, 10 recodes (11 studies) were included in the meta-analysis, with a total of 1,731 MetS cases and 11,740 controls ( Table 1) (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26). The research by Ehala-Aleksejev and Punab (19) was based on two cohorts (fertile men and male partners of infertile couples), and thus it was divided into two individual studies.…”