Couples preparing to conceive a baby, wanting a healthy and lively baby is the most important thing. However, this is not an easy task. In recent years, the quality of male semen has shown a general decline worldwide. While the influence of various social and environmental factors is inevitable, the impact of dietary habits cannot be ignored either.
I. Fried Chicken
Men who love barbecue should take note. Experts point out that barbecued and fried starchy foods contain a carcinogenic toxin called acrylamide, which can lead to oligospermia and asthenospermia in men. Additionally, heavy metals like cadmium and pesticide residues are toxic to sperm.
Some studies have found that the reduced sperm count and decreased motility in patients with oligoasthenospermia are related to a deficiency of the trace element zinc. Therefore, eating foods rich in zinc, such as oysters, dried shrimp, animal liver, seaweed, sesame, peanuts, and beans, can ensure "vitality" and energy.
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is an important method for treating urinary tract stones. However, foreign scientists conducted semen analysis on patients receiving this therapy and found a decrease in sperm motility and density. Therefore, vigilance should be paid to iatrogenic damage.
Kind reminder: In terms of diseases, varicocele can affect testicular production, so patients with this condition should seek early diagnosis and treatment.
II. Beer
If you already have kidney disease and drink beer excessively without restriction, uric acid will deposit, leading to renal tubular blockage and causing kidney failure.
If a blood test reveals kidney problems, it's likely that kidney function is already severely damaged. Rather than waiting for a blood test to understand your kidney's condition, it's better to have regular urine tests, as urinalysis is the simplest and quickest way to monitor kidney health.
III. Coffee
The reason coffee has a refreshing effect is that the caffeine it contains stimulates the human sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system controls all daytime activities. When it is stimulated, a person becomes mentally alert and energetic. The parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, is in charge of nighttime physiological activities, erections, and other sex-related functions, and it has an internal relationship with the sympathetic nervous system. When the sympathetic nervous system is frequently active, the relatively weaker parasympathetic nervous system can be suppressed, which clinically manifests as a decreased libido.
Kind reminder: For people with emotional fluctuations whose sympathetic nervous system is easily excited, it's best to avoid caffeine-containing beverages like coffee before sex, so as not to suppress the parasympathetic nervous system and reduce libido.
IV. Tofu
Men who love tofu and other soy products should be careful. According to recent reports from multiple US media, a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health has once again confirmed that daily consumption of soy products can significantly reduce sperm count in men.
This study was completed by Dr. Jorge Chavarro from the Harvard School of Public Health. From 2000 to 2006, researchers followed 99 men. The results were surprising: men who ate soy products every day had only 41 million sperm per milliliter of semen, significantly less than men who ate fewer soy products. It is understood that a sperm count of less than 20 million per milliliter is considered too low, which can easily lead to infertility. Furthermore, this link was more pronounced in obese men.
Chavarro believes that soy products have an adverse effect on the male reproductive system, especially sperm production. Soy and its products are rich in isoflavone phytoestrogens. Excessive intake can naturally affect the level of male hormones in the body, leading to a series of adverse consequences.
In China, some andrology experts have also suggested that excessive consumption of soy products can affect male sperm count. In the past five years, Pan Lianjun, an andrologist at the Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, has been paying close attention to this issue. He also found that men who often eat soy products have a 3.46 times higher chance of developing erectile dysfunction than those who rarely eat them.
Kind reminder: The best way to avoid health risks for men is to eat soy products in moderation. "Moderation" means eating less than three times a week, with each portion being about 100 grams.
V. Milk Tea
Currently, most pearl milk teas on the market are made from non-dairy creamer, food coloring, flavorings, tapioca pearls, and tap water. The main ingredient of non-dairy creamer is hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is a trans fatty acid. Trans fatty acids can reduce male hormone secretion, negatively affect sperm motility, and interrupt the process of sperm reaction in the body.
Kind reminder: In fact, many of the foods we often eat, such as biscuits, crispbreads, shortbread, chocolate, salad dressing, french fries, doughnuts, cream cakes, pancakes, potato chips, and fried instant noodles, contain varying amounts of trans fatty acids.
VI. Pig Kidney
Many people love to eat animal organs, especially when barbecuing, "kidneys" have become a favorite for many men. Recently, Taiwanese doctors have warned: eating organs to nourish the body, be careful of heavy metal "cadmium" damaging sperm and causing infertility.
Livers, kidneys, pig testicles—for those who believe in "like cures like," you should be cautious. Eating too much not only fails to nourish the body but may also lead to infertility. According to a new study from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan, pig, cow, and sheep livers and kidneys were found to contain varying amounts of the heavy metal cadmium. While people are nourishing their bodies, they are also consuming cadmium, which can very likely lead to infertility. If the person is a smoker, the chance of infertility is as high as 60%.
Kind reminder: These foods considered to "strengthen sperm" contain high levels of cadmium, which not only reduce the number of sperm but also affect the implantation of the fertilized egg. Due to the damage cadmium causes to chromosomes, the fertilized egg may fail to implant easily, affecting pregnancy.