Is junk food causing male infertility?

What’s your count? No, we don’t mean the number of times you’ve cleared Call of Duty. We’re talking sperm. Why? Well new research today has shown that junk food could be killing off your little guys.

The BBC reports that a diet which is high in saturated fat can actually kill off sperm and lead to male infertility. We bet that’ll make you think twice about a post-session takeaway on a Saturday night.

Researchers at a US fertility clinic did a study of 99 men who were attending the premises. Of this number, the researchers found that those who were eating a diet filled with junk had a significantly poorer quality of sperm than men who only indulged in greasy foods every now and then.

Apparently men who had a diet rich in omega 3, the stuff found in fish and vegetables, actually had much healthier and higher sperm counts.

The research, which was led by Professor Jill Attaman from the Harvard Medical School, questioned men about their diet and analysed samples of sperm over the course of four years.

Men with the highest levels of junk food and fat in their diets had a 43 per cent lower sperm count than men who abstained from bad foods.

“The magnitude of the association is quite dramatic and provides further support for the health efforts to limit consumption of saturated fat given their relation with other health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease,” said Professor Attaman.

Researchers have stressed that this small study is just a tiny aspect of what could be a major problem for men across the globe, however they have said that more work will be needed in order to confirm the findings.

Still though, if you’re currently trying to start a family, it might be a good idea to limit the takeaways to once a week. As well as gaining a baby, you could find yourself dropping a few extra pounds. Win-win situation.