An international team of researchers has found a significant decline in sperm count over the past few years in several countries globally, including India.
Sperm count is not only an indicator of human fertility but also an indicator of men’s health, with low levels being linked to an increased risk of chronic disease. testicular cancer and a shorter lifespan, the researchers said.
He said the decline reflects a global crisis related to the modern environment and lifestyle, which has wide-ranging implications for the survival of the human species.
The study, published Tuesday in the journal Human Reproduction Update, used data from 53 countries. This includes an additional seven years of data collection (2011–2018) and focuses on sperm count Trends among men in regions that had not previously been reviewed, particularly South America, Asia and Africa.
The data show for the first time that men Those regions mirror the significant declines in total sperm count (TSC) and sperm concentration (SC) previously observed in North America, Europe and Australia.
The study shows a rapid decline in TSC and SC globally after 2000.
“India is part of this larger trend. In India, because of the availability of good data (one of the countries with the richest data, including 23 estimates in our study), we have more certainty that there is a strong and lasting decline, but it is similar globally,” Professor Hagai Levine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel told PTI. “Overall, we are seeing a global decline of more than 50 per cent in sperm counts over the past 46 years, with the decline accelerating in recent years,” Levine said. Told.
While the current study did not investigate the cause of the decline in sperm count, Levine pointed to recent research that indicates disturbances in sperm development reproductive tract Are associated with lifelong loss of fertility during fetal life and other markers of reproductive dysfunction.
“Additionally, lifestyle choices and chemicals in the environment are adversely affecting the development of this fetus,” Levine explained.
“Our findings serve as a canary in the coal mine. We are faced with a serious problem that, if not mitigated, could threaten the very existence of the human race.
“We call for urgent global action to promote healthy environments for all species and reduce the risks and behaviors that threaten our reproductive healthLevin said. The scientist said a separate study should be done in India, saying it would be better to follow the same population over time.
“However, there is no reason to think that the trend is different in India,” he added. Professor Shanna Swan at the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, US, stressed that low sperm count not only affects male fertilityBut it usually has serious implications for men’s health, and is associated with other adverse tendencies, together known as testicular dysgenesis syndrome.
“The declines in men’s sperm concentration and total sperm count by more than 1 percent each year, as reported in our paper, are consistent with adverse trends in other men’s health outcomes, such as testicular cancer, hormonal disruption and genital birth defects, as well as a decline in female reproductive health,” Swan said.
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