According to a recent study, the pesticide found in fruits and vegetables can affect the quality of the sperm and could lead to fertility problems in men.
The researchers found that among the men who participated in the study, those who consumed a large quantity of fruits and vegetables that contain a high level of pesticide had approximately half as many sperm, with a third of them fewer normal sperm, as compared to the men who did not consume a large quantity of pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables.
The researchers said that if these results confirm in a larger number of men, it could really make a difference in better understanding the male reproductive health.
The scientists published the findings of their study in the journal Human Reproduction on March 30.
Dr. Jorge Chavarro, one of the lead authors of the new study, explained that this does not mean that men should stop eating fruits and vegetables. But men who seek a healthy sperm count should try to eat organic fruits and vegetables, or with a low level of pesticide in them.
Dr. Jorge Chavarro is a professor of nutrition and epidemiology Harvard University’s School of Public Health.
According to the experts, onions, grapefruit, beans and peas are considered to be the lowest in pesticides, while pears, apples, strawberries, spinach and peppers are known to have a higher level of pesticides.
This is not the first study to link the effects of pesticides with sperm quality of sperm. Previous studies suggest that men who work in agriculture or have jobs as exterminators were more likely to be sterile, compared to men who don’t work with pesticides.
However, this is the first scientific study that looks at the effects of pesticides found in a man’s diet can actually affect his sperm count and the quality of sperm.
For this study, the scientists analyzed 338 samples of semen from 155 men who were being treated for fertility problems.
The samples were collected from 2007 to 2012 from a clinic in Boston, from men between the ages of 18 and 55.
The study revealed that those who consumed the most pesticide-laden fruit and vegetables had an average sperm count of 86 billion sperm per ejaculate, while the men who consumed the least amount of pesticide-treated fruit and vegetables produced 171 million sperm.
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