Dairy intake and semen quality among men attending a fertility clinic.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Objective
To examine the relationship between dairy food intake and semen parameters.Design
Longitudinal study.Setting
Academic medical center fertility clinic.Patient(s)
One hundred fifty-five men.Intervention(s)
None.Main outcome measure(s)
Total sperm count, sperm concentration, progressive motility, morphology, and semen volume.Result(s)
Low-fat dairy intake was positively related to sperm concentration and progressive motility. On average, men in the highest quartile of intake (1.22-3.54 servings/d) had 33% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1, 55) higher sperm concentration and 9.3 percentage units (95% CI 1.4, 17.2) higher sperm motility than men in the lowest quartile of intake (≤0.28 servings/d). These associations were primarily explained by intake of low-fat milk. The corresponding results for low-fat milk were 30% (95% CI 1, 51) higher sperm concentration and 8.7 percentage units (95% CI 3.0, 14.4) higher sperm motility. Cheese intake was associated with lower sperm concentration among ever-smokers. In this group, men in the highest tertile of intake (0.82-2.43 servings/d) had 53.2% (95% CI 9.7, 75.7) lower sperm concentration than men in the lowest tertile of cheese intake (<0.43 servings/d).Conclusion(s)
Our findings suggest that low-fat dairy intake, particularly low-fat milk, is related to higher sperm concentration and progressive motility, whereas cheese intake is related to lower sperm concentration among past or current smokers.
SUBMITTER: Afeiche MC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4008690 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Dairy intake and semen quality among men attending a fertility clinic.
Afeiche Myriam C MC Bridges Naima D ND Williams Paige L PL Gaskins Audrey J AJ Tanrikut Cigdem C Petrozza John C JC Hauser Russ R Chavarro Jorge E JE
Fertility and sterility 20140314 5
<h4>Objective</h4>To examine the relationship between dairy food intake and semen parameters.<h4>Design</h4>Longitudinal study.<h4>Setting</h4>Academic medical center fertility clinic.<h4>Patient(s)</h4>One hundred fifty-five men.<h4>Intervention(s)</h4>None.<h4>Main outcome measure(s)</h4>Total sperm count, sperm concentration, progressive motility, morphology, and semen volume.<h4>Result(s)</h4>Low-fat dairy intake was positively related to sperm concentration and progressive motility. On aver ...[more]
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Project description:Study questionIs increased consumption of dairy foods associated with lower semen quality?Summary answerWe found that intake of full-fat dairy was inversely related to sperm motility and morphology. These associations were driven primarily by intake of cheese and were independent of overall dietary patterns.What is known alreadyIt has been suggested that environmental estrogens could be responsible for the putative secular decline in sperm counts. Dairy foods contain large amounts of estrogens. While some studies have suggested dairy as a possible contributing factor for decreased semen quality, this finding has not been consistent across studies.Study design, size, durationThe Rochester Young Men's Study (n = 189) was a cross-sectional study conducted between 2009 and 2010 at the University of Rochester.Participants/materials, setting, methodsMen aged 18-22 years were included in this analysis. Diet was assessed via food frequency questionnaire. Linear regression was used to analyze the relation between dairy intake and conventional semen quality parameters (total sperm count, sperm concentration, progressive motility, morphology and ejaculate volume) adjusting for age, abstinence time, race, smoking status, body mass index, recruitment period, moderate-to-intense exercise, TV watching and total calorie intake.Main results and the role of chanceTotal dairy food intake was inversely related to sperm morphology (P-trend = 0.004). This association was mostly driven by intake of full-fat dairy foods. The adjusted difference (95% confidence interval) in normal sperm morphology percent was -3.2% (-4.5 to -1.8) between men in the upper half and those in the lower half of full-fat dairy intake (P < 0.0001), while the equivalent contrast for low-fat dairy intake was less pronounced [-1.3% (-2.7 to -0.07; P= 0.06)]. Full-fat dairy intake was also associated with significantly lower percent progressively motile sperm (P= 0.05).Limitations, reasons for cautionAs it was a cross-sectional study, causal inference is limited.Wider implications of the findingsFurther research is needed to prove a causal link between a high consumption of full-fat dairy foods and detrimental effects on semen quality. If verified our findings would mean that intake of full-fat dairy foods should be considered in attempts to explain secular trends in semen quality and that men trying to have children should restrict their intake.Study funding/competing interest(s)European Union Seventh Framework Program (Environment), 'Developmental Effects of Environment on Reproductive Health' (DEER) grant 212844. Grant P30 DK046200 and Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award T32 DK007703-16 from the National Institutes of Health. None of the authors has any conflicts of interest to declare.
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