WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Danish scientists have found that men with higher levels of strong, agile sperm may live nearly three years longer than those with poor-quality sperm that struggle to reach their destination.
According to findings published in Human Reproduction, men with the highest-quality sperm had an average lifespan of 80.3 years, compared to 77.6 years for those with the poorest-quality sperm.
This suggests that semen quality reflects a man's overall health and could indicate his risk of developing medical conditions later in life.
Across all sperm quality measures assessed semen volume, sperm concentration, shape, and motility, lower quality was consistently linked to a shorter lifespan.
'The lower the semen quality, the lower the life expectancy,' said lead study author Lærke Priskorn, a researcher and doctoral candidate at Copenhagen University Hospital.
'This association was not explained by any diseases in the ten years before semen quality assessment or the men's educational level.'
The study participants had their semen analyzed between 1965 and 2015 after seeking medical help for fertility issues. Some men produced no sperm at all, while others had excellent semen quality. Using national health records, researchers tracked their health for up to 50 years, during which 8,600 of the men, forming about 11 percent of the group, passed away.
For nearly 60,000 participants who provided samples between 1987 and 2015, researchers also examined additional factors such as education level and pre-existing medical conditions diagnosed in the decade before semen analysis.
Notably, the link between poor semen quality and a shorter lifespan could not be explained by prior health conditions or education level, which often reflects socioeconomic status and lifestyle factors like smoking, diet, and exercise.
Looking ahead, the researchers aim to determine which specific diseases are more prevalent in men with poor semen quality. Identifying these conditions could enable doctors to provide targeted preventive advice for men at risk based on their sperm analysis.
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