Diabetes, Weight Tied to Male Infertility

“Diabetes and being over-or underweight can have a negative effect on male fertility.
That's the conclusion of two reports to be presented July 9 at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction & Embryology, in Barcelona, Spain. While semen samples from diabetics look normal under the microscope, a closer examination revealed DNA damage, Dr. Con Mallidis, of Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said in a news release issued by the conference sponsors. ‘Sperm RNA was significantly altered, and many of the changes we observed are in RNA transcripts involved in DNA repair,’ he said. ‘And comparison with a database of men of proven fertility confirmed our findings. Diabetics have a significant decrease in their ability to repair sperm DNA, and once this is damaged, it cannot be restored.’ Sperm DNA quality is known to be tied to decreased embryo quality, low embryo implantation rates, higher miscarriage rates and some serious childhood diseases, including cancers.”


http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=617343