As if we didn't have enough reasons to prevent and treat metabolic disease, we can now add infertility to the list. A new study published in BJUI identified 15% of males with primary infertility have prediabetes and hyperinsulinemia.
MedPage Today: Prediabetes may pose threat to male fertilityThe study authors concluded that although this was the first trial to show this association, it should not surprise us. Prediabetes and hyperinsulinemia are associated with a low androgen state as well as medical conditions including polycystic ovary syndrome ( PCOS) in women, and erectile dysfunction and male pattern baldness in men.
Although the percentage wasn't high, at 15%, it was still greater than the authors would have expected by chance. Additionally, the study did not prove that it was the elevated insulin causing the infertility. It could also have been the poor lifestyle choices that lead to the elevated insulin also directly lead to the infertility.
Either way, based on this study, some men with primary infertility may now have hope that reversing their prediabetes and hyperinsulinemia may improve their chances for future fertility. Perhaps that should be enough of an incentive for fertility clinics to start their own low-carb dietary intervention programs.
Thanks for reading,
Bret Scher, MD FACC