Body Mass Index Is Associated with Impaired Semen Characteristics and Reduced Levels of Anti-Müllerian Hormone across a Wide Weight Range

There is still controversy as to how body mass index (BMI) affects male reproduction. We investigated how BMI is associated with semen quality and reproductive hormones in 166 men, including 38 severely obese men. Standard semen analysis and sperm DNA integrity analysis were performed, and blood samples were analysed for reproductive hormones. Adjusted for age and time of abstinence, BMI was negatively associated with sperm concentration (B = -0.088, P = 0.009), total sperm count (B = -0.223, P = 0.001), progressive sperm motility (B = -0.675, P = 0.007), normal sperm morphology (B = -0.078, P = 0.001), and percentage of vital spermatozoa (B = -0.006, P = 0.027). A negative relationship was observed between BMI and total testosterone (B = -0.378, P < 0.001), sex hormone binding globulin (B = -0.572, P < 0.001), inhibin B (B = -3.120, P < 0.001) and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) (B = -0.009, P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that high BMI is negatively associated with semen characteristics and serum levels of AMH

Taking Trans Fats Out of the Food Supply

There has been a mounting interest in the deleterious health effects of trans fatty acids in food supply among scientists as well as the consumers worldwide. Trans fatty acids are strongly associated with elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases which remain as the leading cause of deaths globally including in Sri Lanka. The dietary sources of trans fats mainly include foods produced using partially hydrogenated oils, fried snacks, and baked goods. Following evidences of adverse health effects of trans fats, many western countries implemented legislations aiming at reducing trans fats in the food supply. Identifying the risk associated with trans fats, the US Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) brought tough legislations to cut down trans fats in the food supply in 2003. Subsequently, following the guidelines set forth by the US-FDA, some other countries also formulated their national legislations restricting the trans fat content in their food supply. However, in Sri Lanka, currently there are no legislations to regulate trans fat levels in foods. Moreover, the public awareness of trans fat in foods and its health consequences is unsatisfactory. This chapter reviews the literature on the chemistry of trans fats, their negative impact on health, the processes that generate them, and the possible means by which their presence can be mitigated.</p