Slow Sperm aka Asthenozoospermia
Today we’re going to talk about slow sperm, also known as asthenozoospermia (AZS).
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AZS is diagnosed when less than 32% of sperm is able to move efficiently (usually measured within 60 minutes of collection) and is detected in more than 40% of infertile patients.
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While genes can affect a tiny part of the population with this issue, there is a much larger but fixable problem at play.
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Sperm motility (movement) is dependent on aerobic energy metabolism (our ability to create energy aka ATP).
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Cytochrome C Oxidase (CCO), a copper-dependent enzyme, is the rate-limiting step for energy creation.
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Basically, slow sperm is an energy deficiency...which can be driven by a copper deficiency.
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So how can you make your partner’s sperm faster? Here are some quick tips:
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〰️Get more copper in their diet. See my ‘copper-rich foods’ post.
〰️Get more retinol in their diet. See my ‘beta carotene is not real vitamin A (retinol)’ post.
〰️Get more fruit in their diet. Sperm is powered by fructose.
〰️Reduce stressors, which redirect reproductive resources away from reproduction and to survival. This includes stressors like fasting and low-carb diets, which shift away aerobic energy metabolism and produce lactate.
〰️Eat meat. Vegans and vegetarians have been proven to have significantly lower sperm motility than their meat-eating counterparts.
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Not medical advice.
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This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before pursuing any changes to your personal healthcare regime.
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References
Mancuso, M. Filosto, M. Bosetti, F. Ceravolo, R. Rocchi, A. Tognoni, G. Manca, M.L. Solaini, G. Siciliano, G. Murri, L. (2003). Decreased platelet cytochrome c oxidase activity is accompanied by increased blood lactate concentration during exercise in patients with Alzheimer disease. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12895452/.
Orzylowska, E.M. Jacobsen, J.D. Bareh, G.M. Ko, E.Y. Corselli, J.U. Chan, P.J. (2016). Food intake diet and sperm characteristics in a blue zone: a Loma Linda Study. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27280539/.
Sha, Y. Liu, W. Huang, X. Li, Y. Ji, Z. Mei, L. Lin, S. Kong, S. Lu, J. Kong, L. Zhu, X. Lu, Z. Ding, L.
(2019). EIF4G1 is a novel candidate gene associated with severe asthenozoospermia. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6687618/
Tvrda, E. Peer, R. Sikka, S.C. Agarwal, A. (2013). Iron and copper in male reproduction: a double-edged sword. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25245929/.
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