Pesticide residue linked to semen quality

EATING fruits and vegetables appears to increase the number of normally shaped sperm. But eating those with high levels of pesticides could have an effect on sperm count, according to research which analyzed 338 semen samples from 155 men attending a fertility center between 2007-2012 as part of the ongoing, prospective “Environment and Reproductive Health” (EARTH) study. The men were aged 18-55, had not had a vasectomy, and were part of a couple planning to use their own eggs and sperm for fertility treatment.

Their diets were monitored thoroughly. Fruits/vegetables were categorised as being high, moderate or low in pesticide residues based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pesticide Data Program. Peas, beans, grapefruit and onions were low in pesticide residue, while peppers, spinach, strawberries, apples and pears recorded high amounts of residue. Data considered food preparation, such as whether the fruit and vegetables had been peeled and washed.^[1]

The group with the highest intake of pesticide-heavy fruit/vegetables had an average total sperm count of 86 million sperm per ejaculate compared to men eating the least who had an average of 171 million sperm per ejaculate – a 49% reduction. The percentage of normally formed sperm was an average of 7.5% in men in the group with the lowest intake and 5.1% in the men with the highest intake – a 32% reduction.

There were no differences in men who ate fruit/vegetables with low-to-moderate pesticide residues. But researchers saw significant trend towards having a higher percentage of normally shaped sperm among those who ate the most fruit and vegetables with low pesticide residues – a relative increase of 37% from 5.7% to 7.8%. ^[2]

[1] Pesticide use varies from country to country, but in the USA those used on fruit and vegetables include Atrazine, Malathion, Chlorpyrifos and Carbendazim.

[2] Percentages of normally formed sperm are generally low, with the WHO giving less than 4% as the lower reference limit.