Daily yoga practice improves sperm quality: AIIMS study
A daily yoga routine significantly improves sperm quality, according to a study conducted by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). "The major cause of defective sperm function is DNA damage. The quality of genetic components in sperm are vital for birth of a healthy offspring," said Dr. Rima Dada, Professor-in-charge of Laboratory of Molecular Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Anatomy, AIIMS. Here's more.
Study was published in an international medical journal
The study, which was published in Nature Review Urology, an international medical journal, early this year, was conducted by experts in the Department of Anatomy at AIIMS in collaboration with the Department of Urology and Obstetrics and Gynecology.
What happens if sperm DNA is damaged?
"Sperm DNA damage is the common underlying cause of idiopathic infertility, idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion, and congenital malformations," Dr. Dada said. "Sperm DNA damage also leads to increased chances of denovo germline mutations and accumulation of mutagenic bases. This leads to the offspring being at increased risk of genetic and epigenetic disorders and thus adversely affects health trajectory of the offspring," the doctor said.
Causes of DNA damage
The major cause of DNA damage is oxidative-stress, a condition in which there's an imbalance between the body's free radical levels and anti-oxygen capacity. The male germ cell is the most vulnerable to oxidative-stress. Oxidative-stress can be caused by environmental pollution, exposure to insecticides/pesticides, electromagnetic radiation, infection, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and nutritionally depleted fast food. Simple modification in lifestyle can improve DNA quality.
What did the study say?
200 men participated in the study who practiced yoga for six months. "We observed a significant decline in seminal oxidative stress (within 21 days) and improvement in DNA quality (6 months). There was a decrease in inflammation and normalization in levels of sperm transcripts and maintenance of telomere length. There was a reduction in severity of depression, stress and anxiety scores," Dr. Dada said.
