Author, as appears in the article.: Valle-Hita, C; Salas-Huetos, A; de la Puente, MF; Martínez, MA; Canudas, S; Palau-Galindo, A; Mestres, C; Manzanares, JM; Murphy, MM; Marquès, M; Salas-Salvadó, J; Babio, N
Department: Medicina i Cirurgia Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques Bioquímica i Biotecnologia
URV's Author/s: Babio Sánchez, Nancy Elvira / Fernández de la Puente Cervera, María / Manzanares Errazu, José María / Marquès Bueno, Montserrat / Martínez Rodríguez, María Ángeles / Mestres Solà, Cristina / Murphy, Michelle / Palau Galindo, Antonio / Salas Huetos, Albert / Salas Salvadó, Jorge / Valle Hita, Cristina
Keywords: Validity Ultra-processed food Semen quality Reproductive age Oxidative stress Male infertility Lifestyle Led-fertyl study Diet Cross-sectional Antioxidant intake
Abstract: STUDY QUESTION Is ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption associated with semen quality parameters?SUMMARY ANSWER Higher UPF consumption was inversely associated with total sperm count, sperm concentration, and total motility in men of reproductive age.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY The consumption of UPF, which has been rising during the last decades, has been demonstrated to be positively associated with several chronic diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular diseases. However, the scientific evidence on its potential impact on semen quality remains notably limited.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from 200 healthy men (mean age 28.4 +/- 5.5 years) enrolled in the Led-Fertyl (Lifestyle and Environmental Determinants of Seminogram and Other Male Fertility-Related Parameters) study between February 2021 and April 2023.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS UPF consumption (% of energy from UPF) was estimated according to the NOVA classification system using a validated 143-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Total sperm count, sperm concentration, sperm vitality, total motility, progressive motility, and normal sperm forms were set as the main outcomes. Microscopic parameters were analyzed using a phase-contrast microscope and a computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) system. Semen samples were collected and tested according to World Health Organization 2010 standards. Multivariable linear regression models were fitted to estimate the associations between UPF tertile and semen quality parameters.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Sperm concentration (beta: -1.42 x 106 spz./ml; 95% CI: -2.72 to -0.12) and motility (beta: -7.83%; 95% CI: -15.16 to -0.51) were lower in participants in the highest tertile of UPF compared to the lowest. A similar association was observed for sperm count when UPF was analyzed per 10% increment of energy from UPF consumption (beta: -1.50 x 106 spz.; 95% CI: -2.83 to -0.17). Theoretically replacing 10% of energy from UPF consumption with 10% of energy from unprocessed or minimally processed food consumption was associated with a higher total sperm count, sperm concentration, total motility, progressive motility, and normal sperm forms.LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Cross-sectional studies do not permit the drawing of causal inferences. Measurement errors and reporting bias cannot be entirely ruled out.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This work suggests that consumption of UPF may have an impact on certain semen quality parameters. Furthermore, opting for unprocessed or minimally processed foods instead of UPFs could potentially benefit semen quality. If these results are replicated in future epidemiological studies with different long-term designs, these novel findings could provide valuable insights for updating or even designing preventive and interventional programs to address infertility among men of reproductive age.STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was supported by the Spanish government's official funding agency for biomedical research, ISCIII, through the Fondo de Investigacion para la Salud (FIS), the European Union ERDF/ESF, 'A way to make Europe'/'Investing in your future' [PI21/01447], and the Diputacio de Tarragona (2021/11-No.Exp. 8004330008-2021-0022642). J.S.-S. gratefully acknowledges the financial support of ICREA under the ICREA Academia program. C.V.-H. received a predoctoral grant from the Generalitat de Catalunya (2022 FI_B100108). M.a.M.was supported by the Sara Borrell postdoctoral fellowship (CD21/00045-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)). M.F.d.l.P. was supported by a predoctoral grant from the Rovira i Virgili University and Diputacio de Tarragona (2020-PMF-PIPF-8). All authors have no conflict of interest to declare.TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
Thematic Areas: Reproductive biology Obstetrics & gynecology
licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
Author's mail: maria.fernandezdelapuente@urv.cat cristina.mestres@urv.cat antonio.palau@urv.cat josemaria.manzanares@urv.cat montserrat.marques@urv.cat albert.salas@urv.cat mangeles.martinez@urv.cat nancy.babio@urv.cat josemaria.manzanares@urv.cat jordi.salas@urv.cat michelle.murphy@urv.cat cristina.valle@urv.cat maria.fernandezdelapuente@urv.cat
Author identifier: 0000-0001-6302-8578 0000-0001-5914-6862 0000-0001-8595-3772 0000-0003-3527-5277 0000-0003-2700-7459 0000-0002-6304-6204
Record's date: 2024-06-28
Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Link to the original source: https://academic.oup.com/hropen/article/2024/1/hoae001/7574732?login=false
Licence document URL: http://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
Papper original source: Hum Reprod Open. 2024 (1): hoae001-
APA: Valle-Hita, C; Salas-Huetos, A; de la Puente, MF; Martínez, MA; Canudas, S; Palau-Galindo, A; Mestres, C; Manzanares, JM; Murphy, MM; Marquès, M; Sala (2024). Ultra-processed food consumption and semen quality parameters in the Led-Fertyl study. Hum Reprod Open, 2024(1), hoae001-. DOI: 10.1093/hropen/hoae001
Article's DOI: 10.1093/hropen/hoae001
Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Journal publication year: 2024
Publication Type: Journal Publications
Repositori URV