The study discovered that avid TV watchers have half the sperm count—compared to men who watch no, or very little very little, television.
The study polled 189 men between the ages of 18 to 22 about their exercise, diet, and TV watching habits and measured their answers against their sperm samples.
Findings showed that the highest quarter of TV-watchers (meaning those who consumed 20 or more hours of the boob tube) were found to have 44-percent lower sperm counts compared to those who watched almost no television. Previous studies support the claim that a sedentary lifestyle actually warms the scrotum and affect semen concentrations by stifling oxygen compounds and degrading sperm cells.
“We were fortunate to examine a range of physical activity that is more relevant to men in the general population,” said Jorge Charravo, assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health and study co-author.
It was also found that men who exercised moderately to vigorously, for 15 or more hours each week could boast a 73-percent higher sperm count versus men who exercised less than five hours each week. However, even among the TV-watching males who exercised infrequently, no sperm level was so low that infertility was an issue.
Source: CBC
