A high-fat diet as a child can affect sperm later in...

New research in mice suggests that eating a high-fat diet at a young age can affect male fertility in adulthood. The first of its kind will be published in the before going to press American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism.

With obesity on the rise around the world, especially among children, experts have raised the question of how excessive weight and obesity-related type 2 diabetes can affect sperm quality and male fertility. The dynamics of testicular lipids – fat content and fat metabolism in the testes – play an important role in maintaining the normal structure of the developing sperm. Mitochondrial function – the mitochondria are the energy centers of the cells – and antioxidant defenses provide energy for the production of sperm with normal movement patterns (motility). A new study examines whether a high-fat diet in childhood can irreversibly affect sperm quality later in life, even after a healthy diet is established.

The researchers studied young male mice; One group received a high-fat diet after weaning, and another group received a high-fat diet for two months before switching to a standard diet. Both high fat groups were compared to a control group on a standard diet. After a four month diet, all mice were randomly paired with age-appropriate females. The research team observed the reproductive success rate and size of each litter. After another 10 weeks, the researchers measured the men’s blood sugar, insulin and reproductive hormone levels. They also analyzed sperm for factors including total concentration in the testes, fat content, mitochondrial activity, viability, motility, and morphology (shape).

The research team found that diet doesn’t affect hormone levels and that reducing the amount of fat in the diet helps reverse elevated blood sugar levels. However, a high-fat diet negatively impaired fat metabolism, caused an accumulation of fatty acids and a reduced function of the antioxidant defense system in the testicles, which did not correct itself when switching to a standard diet. These changes can lead to inflammation and metabolic changes that correspond to long-term sperm defects. The high-fat diet groups also had higher rates of pinhead sperm, a serious defect that changes the shape of the sperm.

The group that switched from a high-fat to a normal diet showed signs of lipolysis – the process of breaking down fats in the body – which is a positive change, but “this process is apparently too slow to restore normal sperm parameters,” she said Researcher wrote.

“Our results show the importance of preventing obesity in children in order to avoid irreversible damage to the reproductive health of tomorrow’s fathers with unforeseen effects on their offspring,” the research team wrote.

“Diet During Early Life Defines Testicle Lipid Content and Sperm Quality in Adulthood” is published in the prior to press American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism.

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More information:
Luis Crisóstomo et al. Diet in early life defines the lipid content of the testicle and sperm quality in adulthood. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism (2020). DOI: 10.1152 / ajpendo.00235.2020

Provided by the American Physiological Society