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:
Priya Shah is the Editor of The Glutathione Report, a newsletter featuring regular updates on the health benefits of glutathione. Get a Free report on Glutathione in Health and Disease____________________________________________
MORE RESOURCES:
Johnson turns to yogaThe Press Association - 3 hours agoManchester City midfielder Michael Johnson is having yoga sessions in a bid to cure his nagging pelvic problems. Johnson, who signed a new five-year ... |
Stressed out execs seek relief in YogaEconomic Times, India - Oct 12, 2008Corporates too are becoming proactive and invite yoga consultants to hold workshops and classes in offices. “Such activities help build a good working ... |
New yoga studio opens in FentonFenton Tri County Times, MI - 56 minutes agoWhether or not you have ever tried yoga, there’sa yoga class just waiting for you at Dibbleville Yoga. Located at 302 S. LeRoy St. in Fenton, this new yoga ... |
Yoga For YouHonolulu Star-Bulletin, HI - Oct 12, 2008Ray Madigan and Shelley Choy are certified Iyengar yoga teachers and co-direct the Manoa Yoga Center. Address questions to them at Manoa Marketplace, ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Eating On the Go: Healthy Choices While You Travel
If you have a business trip tomorrow morning, you've probably already booked your flight and hotel room, arranged for transportation to the airport, set up meetings, planned your presentations, packed your clothes, and maybe even arranged for someone to feed your pet lama while you're away (lamas eat more than you think).But what if instead you just woke up and left the house.
Finding Your Reason Why to be Healthy
The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is have a big enough reason why that will totally light up your life and will 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 be healthy.
True Culprits of High Cholesterol
What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk may be two of the biggest culprits in skyrocketing rates of high cholesterol? Cholesterol is actually being produced by our own bodies all of the time as a natural mechanism to combat oxidation when our bodies are diseased. Therefore, if we are not well, our cholesterol levels are likely to be higher regardless of what we eat that contains cholesterol.
Unchaining Yourself from an Unhealthy Food Addiction
The cry of "I have no willpower!" often emerges from the consumers who jokingly surrender to their lack of will when it comes to eating something clearly unhealthy. However, scientific nutritional research has identified that something much more serious - much more dangerous - is often at work here.
Starbucks and Children Health Risks
Do you know the risks to daily intakes of Starbucks Frappachinos? Some believe that Starbucks and Health Risks are linked. For instance we know excessive sugar is not good for you and increases risks of early onset diabetes.
Green Tea, or not to Green Tea?
Wow! Is it just me or? Wait! Let me start again, I think it's great that Oprah is the communicator to the masses that she is, without her or her influence, we would surely be less informed and less enlightened than we currently are, I can admit this, but there are certain things that exist that should not necessarily require the direction of Oprah or her throng of guests to bring to light there-well there mere existence?Green Tea is one such discovery?now there I go; it is not a discovery, although it seems like the entire US population has just been introduced to the latest and the greatest discovery since the last big thing, exercise for weight management? How many centuries has this natural substance existed? And I know that Dr. Perricone did not invent green tea either, but you'd never know it by the response evidenced by his appearance on the Oprah show.
Nutrition Secrets Never Before Revealed
The topic of nutrition is one that is always present in our lives no matter where we turn. It's on the news, magazine articles, at school, at your doctor's office, and even is a major topic for many books.
Is Organic Really Better for You?
I had finally come to a place in my life where I was concerned about my health and that of my family. After all, it's not the quantity, but the quality of life right? And if you can increase both, all the better! We started exercising, eating healthier and taking vitamins.
The Myths Associated with Human Growth Hormone
I would like to dispel some of the myths and worries associated with Human Growth Hormone Therapy, or HGH.First of all, a large number of people do not know what kind of treatment is involved with this therapy.
Your Target of Health is Easy
Many of us, probably even you, want this thing called health, yet have no idea what it would look like if we had it. We are going after this elusive thing, but we really have never stopped to think about what it was.
Calcium: the Miracle Mineral
We've heard it not only once or twice or even thrice but a lot of times. If you want healthy bones and teeth then pack up on the Calcium intake.
The coq10 Benefit
Coq10 is also known as Coenzyme Q10.This co q10 is produced naturally in the human body, and is a source of various coq10 benefit.
The Many Benefits of Green Tea Extract
The Benefits of Green Tea Extract: Anti-Aging, Anti-Cancer, Weight ControlOne of the great advancements in nutrition in the twenty-first century is the scientific confirmation of the many benefits of green tea extract. Here are just a few.
An Apple a Day, Does Keep the Doctor Away
Increasing the fiber in your diet has been shown to: reduce your cholesterol, reduce your hunger, lower your fat absorption, reduce surges in insulin levels, help with weight loss, lower the risk of colon cancer, and lower your risk of heart disease. WOW! Sounds like a miracle cure - where can I get this stuff? The answer: At your grocery store.
A Home Water Filter - Do We Need To Filter Our Drinking Water?
Do we really need a home water filter? Can't we just assume the water that flows from our kitchen and bathroom tap is sufficiently treated for contaminants by our municipal water facility? In order to answer these questions, we need to obtain a little more background information.Next to air, water is the most important element for our survival.
Why Digestive Enzymes Are Vital To Good Health!
Most digestive disorders develop because of the bodys inability to produce sufficient enzymes for health-enhancing digestion and proper nutrient absorption. Enzyme depletion results in improper digestion and absorption, leading to chronic disordersMalabsorption is the inability of the cells of the body to obtain nutrients from the foods consumed.
Fattening Foods: Not So Fattening After All?
Have you seen those "fat free" foods in supermarkets? Have you possibly delighted in them guiltlessly thinking that they are healthy for you? There's a good chance that you have because we usually follow what the media and the world around us says. In this day in age, along with other health fads, many people believe that fat makes you fat.
Not all Fats are Bad
Fats have been unfairly lumped together as being all bad for too long. Fat doesn't necessarily cause disease, and can actually cause a role in its prevention.
The Great Influence Of Vitamin B to the Nervous System
In order for a person to actually have a healthy well-being, one must always remember to have an adequate daily intake of the prescribed vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that your body needs in order for it to stay healthy and fit.Unfortunately, due to stress and the increasingly fast-paced environment that we're often subjected to, it's quite easy to neglect one's body, most importantly one's health.
Dietary Guideline USA
Are you sick and tired of the confusion about our dietary guideline? Don't do this, do that, no not this, lose weight this way and on and on. Too much fat, more of this and it goes on and on and on.
|
