Diabetes causes genetic damage to a man’s sperm that may affect his fertility, says researchers.
Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast found that men with diabetes had greater DNA damage in parts of sperm which contain the genetic material.
Previous studies have suggested that defective sperm DNA can lead to male infertility, pregnancy failure and miscarriages.
The study analysed sperm from 27 men with type-1 diabetes, with an average age of 34 and 29 non-diabetic men with an average age of similar age.
They found that the sperm DNA in diabetic men had greater levels of fragmentation - 52 per cent in comparison to 32 per cent in non-diabetic men. There were also more deletions of DNA in the energy-generating structures in the cells called mitochondria.
Lead author of the study Dr Ishola Agbaje said:
As far as we know, this is the first report of the quality of DNA in the nucleus and mitochondria of sperm in diabetes.
The study identifies important evidence of increased DNA fragmentation of nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA deletions in sperm from diabetic men. These findings cause concern, as they may have implications for fertility.
It is estimated by WHO that — diabetes affects about 180 million people today, and the figure is likely to more than double by 2030.
The study is published in the journal Human Reproduction.
Comments
Nice find but I think there are more serious concerns for diabetics than the fertility!