Obesity and male infertility: Mechanisms and management.
Kristian LeisegangPallav SenguptaAshok AgarwalRalf Reinhold HenkelPublished in: Andrologia (2020)
Obesity is considered a global health problem affecting more than a third of the population. Complications of obesity include cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, malignancy (including prostatic cancer), neurodegeneration and accelerated ageing. In males, these further include erectile dysfunction, poor semen quality and subclinical prostatitis. Although poorly understood, important mediators of obesity that may influence the male reproductive system include hyperinsulinemia, hyperleptinemia, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Obesity is known to disrupt male fertility and the reproduction potential, particularly through alteration in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, disruption of testicular steroidogenesis and metabolic dysregulation, including insulin, cytokines and adipokines. Importantly, obesity and its underlying mediators result in a negative impact on semen parameters, including sperm concentration, motility, viability and normal morphology. Moreover, obesity inhibits chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation, increases apoptosis and epigenetic changes that can be transferred to the offspring. This review discusses the impact of obesity on the male reproductive system and fertility, including associated mechanisms. Furthermore, weight management strategies, lifestyle changes, prescription medication, and complementary and alternative medicine in the management of obesity-induced subfertility is discussed.
Keyphrases
- coronary artery disease
- weight loss
- metabolic syndrome
- insulin resistance
- type diabetes
- weight gain
- high fat diet induced
- oxidative stress
- dna damage
- gene expression
- global health
- high fat diet
- prostate cancer
- body mass index
- adipose tissue
- glycemic control
- cell proliferation
- escherichia coli
- staphylococcus aureus
- young adults
- skeletal muscle
- cardiovascular risk factors
- genome wide
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- papillary thyroid
- biofilm formation
- diabetic rats
- benign prostatic hyperplasia
- drug induced
- body weight
- candida albicans
- childhood cancer