 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Male Infertility and Glutathione
Are You Half The Man Your Father Was? It is a well-known fact that sperm counts have dropped by half in the last 50 years, and that modern men have 20 percent less semen volume than their fathers (BMJ, 1992, volume 305). A recent report from researchers in Aberdeen presented preliminary data that suggests the sperm concentration of the men seen in their clinic had declined by 29% over the past 14 years. (British Fertility Society; 5 January 2004) Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and endocrine-disrupting chemicals from normal, everyday plastics are known to cause reproductive damage, as documented in Theo Colborn's book "Our Stolen Future." Damage to sperm caused by exposure to common chemicals like alcohol, pesticides in food, has been linked to lowered intelligence and behavioral disorders in children. Lifestyle risk factors known to decrease sperm quality include > Cigarette smoking > Alcohol consumption > Chronic stress > Nutritional deficiencies. Other reasons for infertility include congenital factors, and health conditions like prostatitis and diabetes that can affect sperm production. Pollution is stealing our future, and there's little anyone can do to avoid it. There may not be a lot you can do to reduce your exposure to persistent environmental toxins. But there are definite measures you can take to reduce the impact of the environmental pollutants and toxins on your body. You can prevent and, to a certain extent, repair the damage they cause to your body, through a better lifestyle and nutrition. Some nutritional therapies and antioxidants that have proven beneficial in treating male infertility and improving sperm counts, sperm morphology and motility include: > Carnitine > Arginine > Zinc > Selenium > Vitamin B-12 > Vitamin C > Vitamin E > Glutathione > Coenzyme Q10 Studies show that anti-oxidant supplementation - glutathione in particular - can improve sperm quality, and possibly increase your chances of conceiving. If you smoke, drink, are exposed to stress, chemicals, radiation, pesticides or take medication or drugs (like sulfasalazine, ketoconazole, azulfidine, anabolic steroids, marijuana) that affect fertility, you should consider taking an antioxidant supplement to reverse some of the damage. Why are Antioxidants Important for Sperm Quality? Mammalian spermatozoa are coated by a membrane rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids are extremely susceptible to oxidative damage by free radicals or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) by a process called lipid peroxidation (LPO). Lipid peroxidation damages the sperm cell membrane. It is considered to be the key mechanism of ROS-induced sperm damage and leads to > Loss of sperm motility > Abnormal sperm morphology > Reduced capacity for oocyte penetration > Infertility To protect sperm from damage, the body depends on powerful antioxidant enzymes in the body such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase/reductase (GPX/GRD). Seminal plasma and spermatozoa have several antioxidant enzymes - glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase. Some amount of all the antioxidant enzymes, which may protect spermatozoa from oxidative attack, are also made by the epididymis during storage. The glutathione peroxidase/reductase enzymes play a central role in the defense against oxidative damage in human sperm. Why is Glutathione important for Sperm Quality and Fertility? A decrease in levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) during sperm production is known to disrupt the membrane integrity of spermatozoa due to increased oxidative stress. Intracellular glutathione levels of spermatozoa are known to be decreased in certain populations of infertile men. Compared with a control group, the infertile men in all groups had significantly higher levels of ROS and lower levels of total antioxidants. There is strong clinical evidence to show that men diagnosed with infertility have high levels of oxidative stress that may impair the quality of their sperm. In some groups, higher levels of ROS were associated with lower sperm counts and defective sperm structure, while lower antioxidant levels correlated with reduced sperm movement. Previous evidence has also shown that oxidative stress can decrease a sperm's life span, its motility, and its ability to penetrate the oocyst, or egg cell. Up to 40% of men with unexplained male infertility have higher levels of free radical activity in their bodies. Because men with high levels of ROS have a seven-fold lower likelihood of inducing a pregnancy than men with lower levels, researchers recommend that treatment for infertile men should include strategies to reduce oxidative stress and improve sperm quality. How can Glutathione help in the Treatment of Infertility? Glutathione is not only vital to sperm antioxidant defenses, but selenium and glutathione are essential to the formation of "phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase" - an enzyme present in spermatids - which becomes a structural protein in the mid-piece of mature spermatozoa. When either substance is deficient, it can lead to instability of the mid-piece of the spermatozoa, resulting in defective motility. Free radical scavengers - such as glutathione - that restore the structure and function of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the cell membrane, can be used to treat these cases. In a double-blind cross-over study of twenty infertile men, treatment with glutathione led to a statistically significant improvement of the sperm quality. The study concerned men in whom the sperm quality was poor due to unilateral varicocele or germ-free genital tract inflammation - two conditions in which ROS or other toxic compounds are indicated as causative factors. Treatment with glutathione was also found to have a statistically significantly positive effect on sperm motility (in particular forward motility) and on sperm morphology. The findings of these studies indicate that glutathione therapy could represent a possible therapeutical tool in cases where ROS or exposure to toxins is the probable cause of infertility. Read the complete report with references on Male Infertility and Glutathione Copyright © 2004 Priya Shah _____________________________________________ About the author:
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
You Are What You Eat You've no doubt heard the saying, "You are what you eat", as it typically pertains to encouraging people to be more health conscious- and really consider each food before it enters the mouth! In America in fact, a commercial for a popular brand of cereal bars actually depicted people walking out of donut shops and bakeries in costumes of the food that they ordered for breakfast, and of course, everyone stared at the donut shaped person walking into the office. The idea behind the phrase, "you are what you eat", is if you don't want to look like you eat donuts every morning for breakfast and fast food every night for dinner, you need to eat healthier. Omega 3, Close to A Medical Miracle of our Century OmegaRx Fish Oil, quoted as being close to a Medical Miracle in our Century! Omega 3, The Good Fat, Is on your side, they contribute to your good health. They are also a big part of Dr Barry Sears Zone Diet. 4 Steps To Brain Health New studies bring to our attention that high levels of cholesterol might make the brain cells more prone to dementia. The heart and brain are connected to long term health - many things that heart patients do are good for all of us to keep our brain healthy, too. Choosing Organic for Health We come from a society where growing organic and just growing produce and livestock for food Was once one of the same. Small, family farms still grow their own food using traditional methods passed down through the generations. Guerilla Health Tactics: 5 Snappy Rules For a Healthier, Happier You The subject of health care itself often seems plagued with conflicting advice, or even heated controversy. Witness the recent Cruise-Shields incident, which will doubtless occupy several chapters in future health and nutrition texts. Create Your Own Diet...Quickly & Easily: If you are like most people, you've tried dieting before. This newsletter is NOT about dieting, but instead about making long-term changes in the foods you choose and eat, WITHOUT sacrificing good taste. Sugar Consumption Itself Has Become a Disease Looking into statistics, we can see the average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week. This might surprise you if not considering that highly refined sugars in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup are being processed into so many foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and a plethora of microwave meals. 5 Tips for Dining Out and Eating Healthily Here's food for thought! Did you know the average restaurant meal has over 1,000 calories? That's enough to blow any healthy eating plan. Fortunately, by following a few simple guidelines, you can dine out without having to sacrifice good taste and nutrition. Time Line of the Development of GlycoBiology and GlycoNutritionals 1880s - Characterization of monosaccharides by Emil Fischer.1952 - Fresh, not aged, Aloe gel heals radiation burns on rabbits (Clarence C. Physical Health is Attainable Through Proper Nutrition and Exercise Obesity is epidemic in this country for both children and adults. The invention of television, video games, and convenient appliances help to influence us to be sedentary. Food Additives Affect Behavior On average 30% of foods in our daily diet are processed foods. These are foods that come in a box or a can and have many ingredients that are hard to pronounce, containing food starches, gums, preservatives, and colorings. Eating Healthy -- Why? The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is have a big enough reason why that will totally light up your life and remind yourself of that reason every single day. We are going to go through a process to help you create your reasons why to make it almost impossible not to eat healthy. Nutrition, Evolution, and Having a Healthy Diet Nutrition has everything to do with health. This isn't news, exactly, but looking around at the crazy information on the market, one wonders if anyone actually makes the connection: what you eat affects how you feel. Busting the Dairy Myth - The Truth About our Health and Dairy Millions of people around the UK consume dairy products on a daily basis. Our huge consumption of dairy is due not only to the convenience it brings to cooking and the habit of cooking with and eating dairy for the majority of our lives but more alarmingly because of the mantra that we are fed by government and the dairy industry that it is beneficial to our health that somehow you need dairy to ensure you consume enough calcium to maintain strong and healthy bones. Ever Hear of This Fruit? I want to tell you about the most healthful and most delicious tropical fruit that you'd ever want to taste. It's called the mangosteen, and the reason you've probably never heard of it is because you can't buy it in the United States. Improve Your Eating Habits. 1. Water. Heart Friendly Foods Heart disease results when plaque builds up inside the arterial walls, which causes a partial or complete obstruction of blood flow. This reduces flow of blood to heart and may result in angina. Why You Should Eat Healthier Every where you look you see articles or news or stories on how America is overweight. This probably doesn't surprise anyone, as you only have to take a quick look around to see that our lifestyles don't promote good health. How Essential Fatty Acids Improve Your Brain Power and Mental Health What is your brain made ofOver 50% of your brain is made of good fat. Twenty percent of this good fat comes from EPA and DHA. What is the Cause? The question most people think they need an answer to is what is the cause of their this or that? Many people pay it lip service, but what is cause really? Going with the bucket analogy, what is the cause of one of the symptoms or diseases not being covered by water, or being expressed? Could it be that water is leaking out of the bucket through the holes? Which hole is the "cause" of the symptoms or disease being expressed? That is kind of a trick question.It is not just one hole that causes a symptom or disease to be expressed.
|
|
|
 |
 |
