TY - JOUR

T1 - Is Sedentary Lifestyle Associated With Testicular Function?

T2 - A Cross-Sectional Study of 1,210 Men

AU - Priskorn, Lærke

AU - Jensen, Tina Kold

AU - Bang, Anne Kirstine

AU - Nordkap, Loa

AU - Joensen, Ulla Nordström

AU - Lassen, Tina Harmer

AU - Olesen, Inge Ahlmann

AU - Swan, Shanna H

AU - Skakkebaek, Niels E

AU - Jørgensen, Niels

N1 - © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

PY - 2016/8/15

Y1 - 2016/8/15

N2 - Based on cross-sectional data on 1,210 healthy young Danish men, we investigated whether sedentary lifestyle was associated with testicular function (semen quality and reproductive hormones) independent of physical activity. The men were invited to participate in the study between 2008 and 2012, when they attended a compulsory medical examination to determine their fitness for military service. Information on sedentary behavior (television watching and computer time) and physical activity was obtained by questionnaire. The men had a physical examination, delivered a semen sample, and had a blood sample drawn. Time spent watching television, but not time sitting in front of a computer, was associated with lower sperm counts. Men who watched television more than 5 hours/day had an adjusted sperm concentration of 37 million/mL (95% confidence interval (CI): 30, 44) versus 52 million/mL (95% CI: 43, 62) among men who did not watch television; total sperm counts in those 2 groups were 104 million (95% CI: 84, 126) and 158 million (95% CI: 130, 189), respectively. Furthermore, an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone and decreases in testosterone and the testosterone/luteinizing hormone ratio were detected in men watching many hours of television. Self-rated physical fitness, but not time spent on physical activity, was positively associated with sperm counts.

AB - Based on cross-sectional data on 1,210 healthy young Danish men, we investigated whether sedentary lifestyle was associated with testicular function (semen quality and reproductive hormones) independent of physical activity. The men were invited to participate in the study between 2008 and 2012, when they attended a compulsory medical examination to determine their fitness for military service. Information on sedentary behavior (television watching and computer time) and physical activity was obtained by questionnaire. The men had a physical examination, delivered a semen sample, and had a blood sample drawn. Time spent watching television, but not time sitting in front of a computer, was associated with lower sperm counts. Men who watched television more than 5 hours/day had an adjusted sperm concentration of 37 million/mL (95% confidence interval (CI): 30, 44) versus 52 million/mL (95% CI: 43, 62) among men who did not watch television; total sperm counts in those 2 groups were 104 million (95% CI: 84, 126) and 158 million (95% CI: 130, 189), respectively. Furthermore, an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone and decreases in testosterone and the testosterone/luteinizing hormone ratio were detected in men watching many hours of television. Self-rated physical fitness, but not time spent on physical activity, was positively associated with sperm counts.

U2 - 10.1093/aje/kwv338

DO - 10.1093/aje/kwv338

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 27501721

VL - 184

SP - 284

EP - 294

JO - American Journal of Epidemiology

JF - American Journal of Epidemiology

SN - 0002-9262

IS - 4

ER -