Mom's Diet Might Alter Son's Fertility
Link suspected between sperm count and amount of beef eaten

(HealthDay News) -- Eating too much beef while pregnant might hamper a future son's fertility.

Research published in the journal Human Reproduction found that when pregnant women consumed more than seven servings of beef a week, their sons were more likely to have a low sperm count.

"We're not saying that people should stop eating beef, and it's particularly important in pregnancy that women get enough protein," the study's lead author Shanna Swan, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, told HealthDay .

Swan and her fellow researchers don't know what the exact mechanism behind the lowered fertility might be, but they suspect that hormones, pesticides or other chemicals in the beef might affect the reproductive systems of developing fetuses.

"Women have to eat protein, although they don't necessarily have to eat meat," Swan said. "If women want to take action, they could try hormone-free beef or organic beef, although it's not proven, or reduce their consumption of beef or find some other protein."

Numerous different anabolic hormones are used in cattle in the United States and Canada , some of which have been banned in Europe since the late 1980s. The amount used in meat is regulated in the United States .

Developing fetuses and pre-pubescent children are the most sensitive to the effects of these hormones, the researchers said.

For the study, they looked at sperm counts and semen quality in men born between 1949 and 1983. With their mothers' input, the men also reported on their mother's diet during pregnancy.

The amount of sperm was inversely related to the mother's beef consumption during pregnancy, the study found. Women who ate more than seven servings of beef weekly had sons with sperm concentrations nearly 25 percent lower than men whose mothers ate less beef. Overall, nearly 18 percent of men whose mothers consumed more than seven meals of beef a week had low sperm counts, compared with 6 percent of men whose mothers ate the least amount of beef while pregnant.

The findings should be viewed with caution, according to Dr. George R. Attia, associate professor and director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "It's very hard to draw conclusions from a single study like this," he told HealthDay . "They used historical data, so the mom had to remember what she was eating at the time. That also makes it difficult to get a conclusion."

Beef isn't alone on the list of foods that women might consider limiting while pregnant. Pregnant women are also warned to restrict their fish consumption throughout pregnancy because of concerns about the presence of mercury and PCBs.

The March of Dimes also suggests that women avoid eating hot dogs and deli meats unless they've been reheated until they're steaming because of the risk of contamination by Listeria bacteria. Also, soft cheeses such as brie, camembert and queso should be avoided throughout pregnancy because of the risk of Listeria.

On the Web

To learn more about eating while pregnant, visit the National Women's Health Information Center.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Shanna Swan, Ph.D., director, Center for Reproductive Epidemiology, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, N.Y.; George R. Attia, M.D., director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami; March 28, 2007, Human Reproduction ; March of Dimes (www.marchofdimes.com)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: April 30, 2008
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