New danger from diabetes: infertility

Rising diabetes may lead to a surge in male infertility. UK scientists discover that uncontrolled blood-sugar levels may damage sperm cells, reports Sanchita Sharma.

Rising diabetes may lead to a surge in male infertility, say UK scientists who have discovered that uncontrolled blood-sugar levels may damage sperm cells. The warning follows tests on diabetic men whose sperms showed 60 per cent higher DNA damage compared with healthy men, reports the Guardian.

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Sperm disorders cause or contribute to infertility in over 40 per cent of couples who cannot have children. The UK study suggests that male fertility problems may become more widespread as diabetes rates rise.

At 32 million, India has the highest number of diabetes-affected people in the world.

“Several studies have shown that 50 per cent of men who have diabetes have also had erectile dysfunction at some time,” said Dr Ambrish Mithal, senior consultant endocrinologist, Apollo Hospitals.

“In India men with diabetes may be at a greater risk of sperm damage because over 50 per cent diabetics are diagnosed with the disorder after they have had the disease for years.”