In subfertile couple, abdominal fat loss in men is associated with improvement of sperm quality and pregnancy: a case-series

The impact of overweight among men of reproductive-age may affect fertility. Abdominal fat, more than body mass index, is an indicator of higher metabolic risk, which seems to be involved in decreasing sperm quality. This study aims to assess the relationship between abdominal fat and sperm DNA frag...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2014-02, Vol.9 (2), p.e86300-e86300
Main Authors: Faure, Céline, Dupont, Charlotte, Baraibar, Martin A, Ladouce, Romain, Cedrin-Durnerin, Isabelle, Wolf, Jean Philippe, Lévy, Rachel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdominal Fat - pathology
Adult
Antioxidants
Antioxidants - metabolism
Biology
Biomarkers - metabolism
Body mass
Body mass index
Body size
Body weight
Carbonyls
Cholesterol
Delivery, Obstetric
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Diet
DNA
DNA fragmentation
Family Characteristics
Female
Fertility
Fragmentation
Hormones - metabolism
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Infertility
Infertility - pathology
Life Sciences
Male
Medicine
Men
Metabolomics
Obesity
Overweight
Oxidation-Reduction
Oxidative stress
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Outcome
Pregnant women
Proteins
Reproductive Biology
Reproductive technologies
Rodents
Semen
Semen - metabolism
Sperm
Spermatozoa
Spermatozoa - metabolism
Superoxide dismutase
Testosterone
Triglycerides
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Summary:The impact of overweight among men of reproductive-age may affect fertility. Abdominal fat, more than body mass index, is an indicator of higher metabolic risk, which seems to be involved in decreasing sperm quality. This study aims to assess the relationship between abdominal fat and sperm DNA fragmentation and the effect of abdominal fat loss, among 6 men in subfertile couples. Sperm DNA fragmentation, abdominal fat and metabolic and hormonal profiles were measured in the 6 men before and after dietary advices. Seminal oxidative stress and antioxidant markers were determined. After several months of a lifestyle program, all 6 men lost abdominal fat (patient 1: loss of 3 points of abdominal fat, patient 2: loss of 3 points, patient 3: loss of 2 points, patient 4: loss of 1 point, patient 5: loss of 4 points and patient 6: loss of 13 points). At the same time, their rate of sperm DNA fragmentation decreased: 9.5% vs 31%, 24% vs 43%, 18% vs 47%, 26.3% vs 66%, 25.4% vs 35% and 1.7% vs 25%. Also, an improvement in both metabolic (significant decrease in triglycerides and total cholesterol; p = 0.0139) and hormonal (significant increase in testosterone/oestradiol ratio; p = 0.0139) blood profiles was observed after following the lifestyle program. In seminal plasma, the amount of SOD2 has significantly increased (p = 0.0139) while in parallel carbonylated proteins have decreased. Furthermore, all spouses got pregnant. All pregnancies were brought to term. This study shows specifically that sperm DNA fragmentation among men in subfertile couples could be affected by abdominal fat, but improvement of lifestyle factor may correct this alteration. The effect of specific abdominal fat loss on sperm quality needs further investigation. The reduction of oxidative stress may be a contributing factor.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0086300