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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Men with diabetes may have fertility problems.
Scientists from Belfast, Northern Ireland, say sperm from diabetic men may have more DNA damage than non-diabetics' sperm, which can affect fertility. They found the DNA in the nuclei of the sperm cells was more fragmented in men with diabetes compared to those who did not have the disease -- 52 percent compared to 32 percent. There were also more DNA deletions in the mitochondria, the tiny, energy-generating structures in the cells.
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With both type1 and type 2 diabetes quickly increasing worldwide, researchers say the findings are a big concern. The increase of obesity has contributed to the rise in type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is growing by 3 percent a year in European children for reasons that are not completely clear.
Dr. Ishola Agbaje, a research fellow in the Reproductive Medicine Research Group at Queen's University, Belfast, was quoted as saying, "If the increasing trend in the incidence of type I diabetes continues, this will result in a 50 percent increase over the next 10 years. As a consequence, diabetes will affect many more men prior to and during their reproductive years. However, it is not clear to what extent clinics consider information about the diabetic status of their patients when investigating fertility problems."
The authors conclude more studies are needed to better understand the DNA damage to the sperm. Because of the increase in diabetes, the authors stress the importance of finding out the prevalence of diabetes in men getting infertility treatment.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Human Reproduction, published online May 3, 2007
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