Five-Hour Cycling Disturb Sperm?

NEW YORK, KOMPAS.com - Those who have an active lifestyle with regular exercise would always feel how it impacts and benefits for health. For men, in particular, exercise has been believed to help boost and maintain stamina.

However, when associated with fertility levels, the sport was not necessarily the same applies. Research in the United States indicated that exercise does not give any effect to both the quality and quantity of sperm in most men.

Even so, there is one exception, namely those who like cycling. Research data shows that men who ride bikes at least five hours a week appeared to have fewer sperm and sperm numbers on the lower than their more sedentary.

"The tendency is that most types of exercise had no effect on semen quality. Only a few specific types of sports and sports that require a high level of intensity that has an impact," said Dr. Lauren Wise, researchers from Boston University, USA.

Previous research indicates that the level of competitive athletes suspected of having problems with sperm quality. To assess the truth of the relationship with sperm quality sport, experts conducted a study involving thousands of men. The research report was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

In his research, researchers monitored 2200 men who did the examination of sperm in the three fertility clinics. The respondents were asked about general health and physical activity. To eliminate the influence of other factors which might affect the health of the sperm so that the sport became an independent factor, researchers used statistical tools to move the influence of multivitamin use, body weight, blood pressure, choice of underwear, and so on.

From the results of the research revealed that men who exercise regularly, even fairly diligent in-inclined do not have a problem with the quality or quantity of sperm than those who never exercise.

However, when looking specifically at the type of sport, a man who claimed to regularly cycling five hours in a week tend to have the quality and quantity of sperm are low.

Among men who did not exercise regularly, 23 percent had low sperm counts and 27 percent have poor sperm motility. Among men who cycled at least five hours a week, nearly 31 percent had low sperm counts and sperm count by 40 percent unfavorable.

Wise reminded, too early to say if the activity of cycling on a regular basis can cause problems with sperm. "It needs to perform further studies to reinforce these findings before then considered to be the cause," he explained.

According to him, it is possible that male respondents were included in this study do not represent the general population. Because the male respondents are those who went to the clinic so that the most likely to have problems with sperm.
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