Interactive Effects of Unhealthy Lifestyle Behaviors on Testicular Function among Healthy Adult Men: A Cross-Sectional Study in Taiwan

Abstract

Recently, the role of lifestyle factors in testicular function has developed into a growing area of interest. Based on cross-sectional data on 3283 Taiwanese men, we investigated whether interactive effects of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors were associated with testicular function. The men were recruited from a private screening institute between 2009 and 2015. Lifestyle behaviors (smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity (PA), sleeping habits, and diet) were obtained by a validated self-reported questionnaire. The men provided a semen sample and had blood drawn for sex hormone measurement. Men who smoked and drank had higher testosterone (T) levels (β = 0.81, p < 0.001) than those who neither smoked nor drank. Men who smoked and had high Western dietary pattern scores had higher T levels—by 0.38 ng/mL (p = 0.03). Those who drank and did not get enough sleep or had high Western dietary pattern scores had elevated T levels—by 0.60 ng/mL (p = 0.005) or 0.45 ng/mL (p = 0.02), respectively. Light PA and insomnia were associated with decreased T levels—by 0.64 ng/mL (p < 0.001). Those who smoked and drank or had light PA or had high Western dietary pattern scores had lower normal sperm morphologies (NSMs)—by 2.08%, 1.77%, and 2.29%, respectively. Moreover, drinkers who had high Western dietary pattern scores had higher sperm concentrations—by 4.63 M/mL (p = 0.04). Awareness and recognition of the long-term impact of lifestyle behaviors and better lifestyle choices may help to optimize the chance of conception amongst couples.

Sleep duration and biomarkers of fecundity in young men: a cross‐sectional study from a population‐based cohort

“…Moreover, a Chinese cross‐sectional study found a linear association with semen characteristics, 16 whereas another did not find any association between sleep duration and semen characteristics 14 . Similar, a Taiwanese study also reported no association with semen characteristics and reproductive hormone levels 18 …”

“…14 Similar, a Taiwanese study also reported no association with semen characteristics and reproductive hormone levels. 18 Other biomarkers of male fecundity, such as testes volume or reproductive hormone levels, have been rarely studied in relation to sleep duration. 4,5 One cross-sectional study from the United States found no association between self-reported sleep duration and testes volume, however, when measuring sleep duration using actigraphy, the authors found a linear association between sleep duration and testes size.…”