Sportsmen who carry out high levels of cycle training could be damaging their chance of fatherhood, researchers reported on Monday.
The research team looked at triathletes — athletes who run, swim and cycle — to further a probe into a long-suspected link between male infertility and long-distance biking.
They looked at semen provided by 15 healthy Spanish triathletes whose training routines were known in detail.
The more time the triathletes spent in the saddle, the worse their sperm fared, said the research team, which Diana Vaamonde led at the University of Cordoba Medical School in Spain.
"While all triathletes had less than 10 percent of normal-looking sperm, the men with less than 4 percent — at which percentage they generally would be considered to have significant fertility problems — were systematically" 180 miles a week on their bicycles, Vaamonde said.
No such link was seen for running and swimming.
The study was released in Amsterdam at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
The relationship between endurance cycling and male infertility surfaced half a dozen years ago in research among mountain bikers.
The suspected causes include irritation and compression of the testes against the saddle and localized heat because of tight clothing. Excess heat inhibits sperm production.
But there could be additional reasons, including rogue oxygen molecules that damage cell structures, Vaamonde said.
"Protective measures for these sportsmen need to be developed," she said.
"Depending on the mechanism leading to the creation of abnormal sperm, these could include giving antioxidants and modifying training regimes to allow for recovery. Or we could take preventive measures by freezing athletes' sperm before they start high-intensity training."
Copyright AFP
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