Study on the short-term effects of increased alcohol and cigarette consumption in healthy young men’s seminal quality

Abstract

Many studies have reported a negative impact of lifestyle factors on testicular function, spermatozoa parameters and pituitary-gonadal axis. However, conclusions are difficult to draw, since studies in the general population are rare. In this study we intended to address the early and late short-term impact of acute lifestyle alterations on young men’s reproductive function. Thirty-six healthy male students, who attended the Portuguese academic festivities, provided semen samples and answered questionnaires at three time-points. The consumption of alcohol and cigarette increased more than 8 and 2 times, respectively, during the academic festivities and resulted in deleterious effects on semen quality: one week after the festivities, a decrease on semen volume, spermatozoa motility and normal morphology was observed, in parallel with an increase on immotile spermatozoa, head and midpiece defects and spermatozoa oxidative stress. Additionally, three months after the academic festivities, besides the detrimental effect on volume, motility and morphology, a negative impact on spermatozoa concentration was observed, along with a decrease on epididymal, seminal vesicles and prostate function. This study contributed to understanding the pathophysiology underlying semen quality degradation induced by acute lifestyle alterations, suggesting that high alcohol and cigarette consumption are associated with decreased semen quality in healthy young men.

Associations of sperm telomere length with semen parameters, clinical outcomes and lifestyle factors in human normozoospermic samples

“…In patients with high BMI (>28 kg/m 2 ) compared with normal BMI, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity in semen and sperm DNA fragmentation were found,these are factors linked to poorer sperm quality that may account for poorer IVF treatment outcomes 48,49. STL attrition is linked to ROS exposure in relation to environmental and lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption and smoking [50][51][52]. However, Mishra and colleagues demonstrated that a mild increase in oxidative stress is beneficial for STL maintenance 53.…”

Paternal lifestyle factors in relation to semen quality and in vitro reproductive outcomes

“…We observed that semen quality is also affected by alcohol consumption, represented by lower semen volume, sperm concentration, motility and normal morphology. Previous studies have suggested a negative association between alcohol consumption and semen quality (Gaur, Talekar, & Pathak, ; Joo et al, ; Martini et al, ; Muthusami & Chinnaswamy, ; Silva et al, ; Stutz et al, ), although others did not confirm these findings (de Jong, Menkveld, Lens, Nienhuis, & Rhemrev, ; Hansen et al, ; Jensen et al, ; Lopez Teijon et al, ). Decreased semen quality and occasional azoospermia have also been found in heavy alcohol consumers (Guthauser, Boitrelle, Plat, Thiercelin, & Vialard, ).…”

“…Alcohol intake was found to modify free oestradiol and free testosterone ratio (Hansen et al, ), and to be consistently associated with spermatogenetic arrest and Sertoli‐cell‐only syndrome (Pajarinen et al, ). Recently, Silva et al () showed that cigarette and alcohol are associated with increased oxidative stress, and compromised epididymal and accessory sex glands functions. Additionally, ethanol has been shown to compromise sperm nuclear maturity and DNA integrity in rats (Talebi, Sarcheshmeh, Khalili, & Tabibnejad, ).…”

“…According to two meta‐analyses, seminal parameters, which are predictors of male fertility potential, have been declining over time worldwide (Carlsen, Giwercman, Keiding, & Skakkebaek, ; Swan & Elkin, ), and recent studies have corroborated this finding (Borges, Setti, Braga, Figueira Rde, & Iaconelli, ; Fernandez et al, ; Sengupta, Dutta, & Krajewska‐Kulak, ; Splingart et al, ). This decline in semen quality is likely multifactorial, and a variety of lifestyle factors have been proposed to influence spermatogenesis and reproductive function, either positively (Gaskins, Colaci, Mendiola, Swan, & Chavarro, ; Minguez‐Alarcon et al, ) or negatively (Braga et al, ; Gaskins et al, ; Joo, Kwon, Myung, & Kim, ; Silva et al, ).…”

The Role of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Male Fertility Decline

“…Declining human sperm quality has been demonstrated in several recent studies. Age, lifestyle, environmental pollutants and nutritional factors can affect semen quality [14, [50][51][52]. The present section focuses on studies of environmental exposure to EDCs and male reproductive function, as measured by declines in semen quality parameters or increased sperm DNA damage/fragmentation.…”