healthmedicinet

How Vaping may have negative impact on men’s testicles and sperm count

Vaping can lower sperm count, weaken libido and shrink testicles, scientists warn.

In a study on male rats, experts from Turkey tested the effect of exposure to smoke from e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes on the sexual health of rodents.

They measured how much sperm the animals could produce, what their testicles looked like under a microscope, and markers of stress in the blood and genitals.

The authors wrote: ‘It should be borne in mind that although smoking cessation studies have introduced that liquid (e-cigarettes) is harmless, it could increase oxidative stress and cause morphological changes in the testicle. ‘

But regular cigarettes — long associated with male infertility — were even worse in terms of lowering sperm count and interfering with sexual function.

The negative health effects of cigarette smoking are well documented, but scientists are beginning to understand the extent of the damage the super-popular e-cigarettes, once considered a safer smoking choice, are doing to the whole body.

Graph shows: the rate at which sperm concentrations are falling worldwide, shown by samples collected between 1972 and 2000 (orange) and since 2000 (red)

A major limitation of the study was the fact that it was conducted on rats. The study authors believe that much more extensive research is needed on the effects of vaping on human males.

But the negative effects of vaping on fertility are not unfounded. A 2020 study conducted in Denmark in more than 2,000 men, daily e-cigarette users were found to have significantly lower total sperm counts compared to non-users.

Nicotine has long been associated with reduced sperm count and low sperm density, when fewer sperm are available to fertilize an egg and start a pregnancy.

Heavy smokers have also been shown to have lower sperm motility, another way of saying that sperm can travel through the female reproductive tract in search of an egg to fertilize.

It is also feared that the toxic chemicals used to give vapors their fruity or minty flavor may damage the body’s sperm production and their ability to swim.

In the latest study, researchers at Cumhuriyet University in Sivas, Turkey, looked at three groups of rats.

One group was exposed to traditional cigarette smoke from Winston brand cigarettes, while another group was exposed to vapor from a Joyetech eGo Aio 1500 mAh vape. A third group, the control group, was not exposed to either.

They placed rats in each group under a specially designed bell jar, where they were exposed to cigarette smoke or electronic cigarette vapor for an hour twice a day.

The researchers checked the rats’ urine levels for a substance called cotinine, a by-product of nicotine metabolism in the body.

They measured changes in sperm counts, as well as the size of their testicles, using a measurement known as the Gonadosomatic Index (GSI).

The rats exposed to e-cigarette vapor had a lower sperm count: 95.1 million sperm per milliliter for the e-cigarette group, compared to 98.5 million per milliliter for the control group.

The rats exposed to traditional cigarette smoke had a sperm count of approximately 89 million sperm/ml.

A higher sperm count generally translates into a higher chance of causing pregnancy.

Rats exposed to cigarette smoke had smaller and lighter testicles than the e-cigarette and unexposed groups, and lower sperm counts that could swim.

In addition to measuring sperm count, testicle weight and size, and sperm mobility, the researchers looked at the structure of the testicles in each group under a microscope to detect any changes in the health of the cells in the testicles. to judge.

They also looked for changes in the areas where sperm is produced, signs of cell death, tissue atrophy and other markers of negative health consequences.

While no changes were reported in the unexposed rats, five of the eight rats exposed to e-cigarette smoke showed structural changes to the testicles when examined under a microscope.

The study was published in the Spanish medical journal Revista Internacional de Andrologia.

While not studied in humans, the team’s findings add to an ever-growing pile of evidence pointing to the insidiousness of e-cigarettes, once hailed as a safer smoking alternative in the early to mid-2010s.

Since then, scientists have discovered a host of health risks associated with vaping that extend beyond addiction to nicotine, ranging from high blood pressure, asthma and other respiratory problems to an increased risk of heart attack and acute lung injury.

More than twelve million adults use e-cigarettes, and millions more children use them illegally.

The devices don’t emit the same tar and other known carcinogens as traditional cigarettes; its vapor is loaded with heavy metals and other high-risk compounds that researchers are still identifying.