Does Bacon Really Affect the Sperm Count?

Benjamin

Staff Writer
bacon-sperm.webp

Men in many parts of the world are now seriously re-thinking their staple breakfast choices after several leading national and international dailies came up with reports that eating bacon daily lowers sperm count. Newspapers and news channels like the Dallas Observer, Sydney Morning Herald, a web resource of NY Daily News, and Fox News have reported the findings of a scientific study by the Harvard School of Public Health.

According to this study, men who regularly ate red meat and processed meat products like bacon, hamburgers, mince, and sausages had lower sperm counts than men who didn't or ate them in moderation. The quality of sperm in these men was also found to be of an inferior type. Low sperm count and its poor quality is one of the major causes of male infertility in most parts of the world.

The above-mentioned study was carried out on more than 150 men and about 350 semen samples were collected and examined.
The study by the researchers at Harvard brought to light the detrimental effects of eating red meat and processed meats regularly. The reference is to meat products from cattle that are fed natural and/or artificial growth hormones before being slaughtered. These hormones remain in the meat even after cooking and then go on to enter the human body.

Researchers have also nailed the high saturated fat content of red meat as a prime culprit that leads to low count and poor quality of sperm. These food products are so detrimental to sperm health that eating just a single slice of bacon or one sausage daily can reduce healthy sperm count by as much as 30 percent.

Researchers have advised men to stick to healthy diets that include fish like salmon, cod and halibut to improve sperm health. What is more, they warn that eating bacon and other kinds of processed meats daily can also lead to other health complications like hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cardiac ailments.
 
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This study is misleading. Eating bacon from organic and/or pastured pork, not the processed CAFO (confined animal feeding operation) meat which give their animals all sorts of toxic antibiotics, hormones, and grains to eat, etc., is healthy. You're talking apples and oranges here. Furthermore, saturated fat from whole unprocessed foods which includes red meat from non-CAFO animals is necessary for production of hormones and other aspects of optimal health. Sticking to a diet of fish only is unhealthy because of the huge amounts of PCBs, mercury and other contaminants in our oceans now more than ever.
 

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