Pesticides on Fruit, Veggies Could Lower Men's Sperm Quality

Men concerned about the quality of their sperm may want to consider reducing the amount of fruit and vegetables with pesticides they consume as a recent study shows it can lower their sperm count by almost 50 percent.

“It seems that the toxic effect of pesticides on sperm outweighs the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables,” said Avner Hershlag, MD, chief of the Center for Human Reproduction at the North Shore-LIJ Health System.

But men looking to have children don’t need to avoid all fruits and vegetables to be more confident in their fertility. Dr. Hershlag suggests eating organic produce to avoid pesticides.

“Further studies are needed to show whether exposure to pesticides indeed reduces a man’s capacity to have children,” Dr. Hershlag said.

This study was published in the Human Reproduction journal.