Exposure to plasticizers lead to male infertility: NCKU research
Tainan, Taiwan, November 23, 2015
A research team led by Professor Ching-Chang Lee from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan, revealed how exposure to industrial plasticizers can lead to low testosterone levels and possibly infertility in men at a recent press conference.
Lee said, the findings were based on a study of 259 infertile men recruited at infertility clinics and 39 fertile men recruited from childbirth classes between 2011 and 2014.
The participants' urinary concentrations of plasticizers were measured and indicators of testicular function were compared to test the link between the industrial chemicals and infertility and learn how the mechanism works.
At a press briefing at NCKU, Lee said the study found that the concentration of plasticizers in the system of an infertile male was more than double that of a fertile male.
That was the case, Lee said, because plasticizers in a male's system can affect the functioning of Leydig cells and suppress the production of testosterone.
When both the Leydig cell hormones' insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and testosterone were low, males were likely to have poor semen quality, he said.
Industrial plasticizers, also known as phthalates, are additives that make plastics (especially PVC) used in a wide range of commercial applications more flexible and harder to break, and have been suspected of having negative effects on reproductive systems.
The team said people are now often frequently exposed to plasticizers, including from hot or cold food and drinks contained in bags or boxes containing plasticizers.
Males who used more bath wash, shampoo, shaving cream and colognes were also found to have higher concentrations of plasticizers in their systems, Lee said.
The team's study was published in Human Reproduction, a journal of medicine and health put out by the Oxford University Press, in its most recent issue, according to Lee.
Enditem/
A research team led by Professor Ching-Chang Lee from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan, revealed how exposure to industrial plasticizers can lead to low testosterone levels and possibly infertility in men at a recent press conference.
Lee said, the findings were based on a study of 259 infertile men recruited at infertility clinics and 39 fertile men recruited from childbirth classes between 2011 and 2014.
The participants' urinary concentrations of plasticizers were measured and indicators of testicular function were compared to test the link between the industrial chemicals and infertility and learn how the mechanism works.
At a press briefing at NCKU, Lee said the study found that the concentration of plasticizers in the system of an infertile male was more than double that of a fertile male.
That was the case, Lee said, because plasticizers in a male's system can affect the functioning of Leydig cells and suppress the production of testosterone.
When both the Leydig cell hormones' insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and testosterone were low, males were likely to have poor semen quality, he said.
Industrial plasticizers, also known as phthalates, are additives that make plastics (especially PVC) used in a wide range of commercial applications more flexible and harder to break, and have been suspected of having negative effects on reproductive systems.
The team said people are now often frequently exposed to plasticizers, including from hot or cold food and drinks contained in bags or boxes containing plasticizers.
Males who used more bath wash, shampoo, shaving cream and colognes were also found to have higher concentrations of plasticizers in their systems, Lee said.
The team's study was published in Human Reproduction, a journal of medicine and health put out by the Oxford University Press, in its most recent issue, according to Lee.
Enditem/
Click Num:
Share
