Consumption of Pesticides through Diet lowers Sperm Count

Harvard University researchers said in a report on Monday that consumption of fruits and vegetables that contain relatively large amounts of pesticide residue may alter sperm count of men. This poses serious risk of developing fertility problems.

The research was conducted by researchers at the T. H. Chan School of Public Health. The research has been claimed to be the first to establish a link between pesticides in fruits and vegetables and reproductive problems.

Published online in the journal Human Reproduction, the study has clearly showed that spermatogenesis in humans is greatly affected by exposure to pesticides used in agricultural production through diet. It is not the first time when researchers have talked about a possible impact of pesticides on sperm production in men. The chemicals' presence in urine is increased by consumption of pesticide residue, but not enough evidence is there to support the belief that it affects human health.

The US Department of Agriculture data between 2006 and 2012 was used by the researchers to do classification of pesticide residue in 35 fruits and vegetables.

The researchers determined that consumption of the largest amounts of high-residue fruits and vegetables reduced sperm counts in men by 49%. The men who consumed the highest amounts of those fruits and vegetables had 32% fewer normal-appearing sperm and a 29% lower ejaculate volume than the men who ate the smallest amount of those foods. The researchers ruled out smoking, obesity, age, physical activity and other factors while driving study results.

"I think this raises a lot more questions. It was actually very surprising to me ... that we were able to identify such a strong association, which to me says there is something going on there", said Jorge Chavarro, an assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the public health school, and one of the authors of the study.