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【社会人文】周末烧烤能降低男性生育力
Sunday roasts 'could have hit male fertility'
By JULIE WHELDON - More by this author »
Last updated at 15:18pm on 28th March 2007
Beef packed with hormones could be to blame for fertility problems in a generation of young men, researchers say.
They believe steroids once used in farming could have interfered with the development of unborn babies, affecting male sperm production in later life.
Scientists studying men born between 1949 and 1983 found those whose mothers ate lots of beef while pregnant had 24 per cent lower sperm counts than those born to women who rarely ate it.
Synthetic sex hormones, including forms of oestrogen and testosterone, have been used to make cattle grow faster. But they remain in the meat after the animals are slaughtered, so their use has been banned in beef farmed or imported into the European Union since 1988.
Controversially, the chemicals are still used in the U.S.
Experts said on Tuesday the results were "alarming" and called for more research into how hormones in meat could affect a growing foetus. The study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, studied 400 men whose partners were pregnant.
They were asked to provide semen samples and their mothers had to complete questionnaires about their diet while pregnant. On average, the women said they ate beef around four times a week.
But more than one in ten had beef for seven meals every week, and the sons of these women had a sperm concentration on average 24 per cent lower than the control group.
The proportion of men whose sperm count was so low as to be classified as 'sub-fertile' was also three times higher in the group whose mothers ate more beef.
Lead researcher Dr Shanna Swan, of the University of Rochester, said: "The number of beef meals consumed by the pregnant mother was significantly and inversely related to her son's sperm concentration.
"These findings suggest that maternal beef consumption is associated with lower sperm concentrations and possible sub-fertility - associations that may be related to the presence of anabolic steroids."
She said the findings meant that men exposed to these chemicals in the womb would be more likely to need IVF treatment.
"These data suggest a shift in the distribution of sperm counts among men whose mothers ate a high level of beef," she said.
"While we cannot point to mother's beef consumption as the cause of any individual's fertility, it could contribute to a greater percentage of the population seeking infertility treatment."
Dr Swan said more evidence was needed before she could make firm recommendations.
But she added: "If a pregnant woman is concerned and wants to take precautionary action, there are a few things she can do.
"She might restrict her consumption to organic beef, if it is affordable and available. She can also reduce the amount of beef she consumes, if she is careful to eat sufficient protein from other sources."
Dr Allan Pacey of the University of Sheffield said: "Even though males don't start producing sperm until puberty, it is during the time in their mothers' womb, and in the early years of their life as an infant, that the testicles develop their capacity to produce sperm.
"Scientists have been concerned for a number of years that oestrogen-mimicking chemicals in water supplies, plastics or make-up can affect the critical stages in the development of young boy's testicles.
"That hormones given to cattle might have lowered the sperm counts of adult men because their mothers ate a lot of beef when they were pregnant with them, is alarming to say the least.
"This clearly needs to be investigated further - if only to clarify that it is no longer happening." 本人已认领该文编译，48小时后若未提交译文，请其他战友自由认领。 Sunday roasts 'could have hit male fertility'
周日烧烤可能已经损伤了男性的生育力
报道者：By JULIE WHELDON - More by this author »
Last updated at 15:18pm on 28th March 2007
上次更新时间
Beef packed with hormones could be to blame for fertility problems in a generation of young men, researchers say.
据研究者报道：年轻一代男性的生育问题与牛肉中含有的激素有关系。
They believe steroids once used in farming could have interfered with the development of unborn babies, affecting male sperm production in later life.
他们相信曾经在农业中使用的激素，已经对未出生的婴儿的发育造成干扰，影响了男性今后的生精能力。
Scientists studying men born between 1949 and 1983 found those whose mothers ate lots of beef while pregnant had 24 per cent lower sperm counts than those born to women who rarely ate it.
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-03-13 17:11
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