Protein supplement use may potentially be associated with decreased sperm quality. Scientists from the University of Birmingham (UK) came to this conclusion. Research results published In the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online (RBMO).
Lack of public awareness of the causes of male infertility is one of the key factors in the crisis in men’s reproductive health, scientists have announced. They have raised some concerns about high concentrations of the female hormone estrogen and plant equivalents of phytoestrogens in whey and soy protein supplements.
Whey protein is a supplement used by many people to meet the body’s protein needs and promote muscle growth. The article notes that an early study in humans found an inverse correlation between increased soy consumption and sperm concentration in seminal fluid. Another study found that sperm parameters in healthy adult men did not change significantly over the course of two months consuming high or low amounts of soy protein isolate.
Another 2019 study by researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark linked stopping protein supplementation with a 2.6-fold increase in sperm concentration (reduced reproductive ability) in infertile men.
The study authors noted that they did not intend to prove that certain types of supplements can cause male infertility. They noted that their study showed men’s awareness of the potential consequences of using them was low.
Biologists before to create A possible cause of genetic infertility in men.