In a recent report by CNN, a study found that a poor-quality Western diet kills sperm count and lowers male testosterone. According to the report, "Total sperm count in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand dropped by up to 60% in the 38 years between 1973 and 2011, the research found -- an acceleration of a trend that began in the 1940s. More recent studies show the trend is continuing."
Let's take a look at the Western diet. This is made up of foods that are packed with refined sugars, saturated fats, and processed ingredients. This type of food typically has very little to no nutritional value. Plain and simple, it's junk. These foods include chips and packaged snacks, fast food, white bread, frozen foods like pizza, soft drinks, and candy.
Because of the Westen diet habits, many Americans are overweight or obese. One in three Americans are considered obese, and one in five Americans have Metabolic Syndrome. Obesity can be measured by your BMI, or body mass index. If your BMI is 30% or over, you are considered obese.
One step further, Metabolic Syndrome, seen in people who are significantly overweight, is a combination of health disorders caused by obesity and other related factors. Metabolic Syndrome is present if you have three or more symptoms including, a large waist circumference 35-40 inches or more, low HDL cholesterol, blood pressure higher than 130/85mmHg, fasting blood pressure higher than 100 gm/dL, or triglycerides higher than 150 mg/dL.
While someone who is obese or suffering from Metabolic Syndrome may be easy to spot, there are many dangerous unseen side effects and symptoms that come along with it. The most common issues can be seen with how being severely overweight affects your bones, joints, and organs. The added weight can put stress on them and also makes them work much harder to do their job. Other common symptoms include high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, raised cholesterol levels, and greater risk for heart disease and strokes. Being overweight can also lead to diabetes, has been linked to higher rates of cancer, and cause cells to become damaged due to inflammation. Obesity can also worsen other health issues like sleep apnea, back pain, osteoporosis, and asthma. In men, obesity can result in low testosterone and high estrogen levels.
Low testosterone and high estrogen are bad for men. Testosterone is the hormone that makes a man - it allows them to build and retain lean muscle, and it controls their sex drive and sexual function. In that same report from CNN, they say "on average, men who typically ate a Westernized diet of pizza, snacks, sweets, and processed foods produced around 68 million fewer sperm upon ejaculation than men who ate a more healthy, balanced diet."
Eating a healthy, well-rounded diet is not only important to maintaining a healthy weight, but to keeping our nation populated and healthy as well. Hormone Replacement Therapy can also help get a man's hormone levels back on track by increasing testosterone levels and decreasing estrogen levels. At LongevityMed, we offer testosterone replacement therapy. It’s what we do every day and our specialty. Our Hormone Replacement Therapy provides individualized doses of hormones that emulate nearly identically those each patient had as a younger man.
LongevityMed Centers specializes in treating obesity, hormone imbalance, and poor nutrition. We can help you lose weight in a healthy way, as well as help lower your blood pressure and get on the right track to a healthier lifestyle with HRT, diet, exercise, and supplementation. If you think you may be suffering from low T or obesity, contact us for a consultation.
