Diabetic persons have greater chances of damage their sperm, which may affect their fertility health, say researchers.
Comparing the quality of sperm from a diabetic and a non-diabetic person, the study found that DNA fragmentation was greater in diabetic men (52 percent, versus 32 percent in non-diabetic men), and that there were more deletions of DNA in the cell mitochondria. Additionally, the researchers observed that semen volume from diabetic men was considerably less than that from men not suffering the disease.
Reports in the journal Human Reproduction, researcher explained that the findings could have important implications given that the incidence of type 1 and type 2-diabetes is increasing rapidly worldwide. While diet and obesity are known to be key factors in the increase of type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is also increasing, most markedly in the children. The reasons for increasing in type 1-diabetes are not clear. Other studies speculate that genetic or environmental factors could play a role.
“If the increasing trend in the incidence of type 1 diabetes continues, this will result in a 50 percent increase over the next ten years. As a consequence, diabetes will affect many more men prior to, and during, their reproductive years,” said Agbaje. Infertility is already a major concern for health authorities, with up to one-in-six couples requiring specialist treatment in order to conceive. Coupled with the apparent decline in semen quality over the last 50 years, the findings could portend a looming crisis in human reproductive health.