E-cigarettes are widely used by many smokers in attempts to quit smoking. However, the long-term health effects are not fully known. The results of a study conducted by researchers at Sivas Cumhuriyet University (Turkey) may be cause for concern for male vapers: e-cigarettes appear to reduce testicle size and sperm quality.
Testicle Credit: Wikipedia
Read Also: Vaping May Increase the Risk of Developing Eating Disorders Like Anorexia, and Bulimia
Vaping may have a harmful effect on the male reproductive system
To reach these conclusions, the researchers exposed some male rats to traditional cigarette smoke and others to the vapors of e-cigarettes. They then measured various parameters, such as the cotinine level in the urine, the weight of the testicles, and the sperm count of each animal. Cotinine, a primary metabolite of nicotine, is commonly used as a marker to determine nicotine exposure, with higher levels indicating greater exposure to nicotine substances. The data was compared with that of a group that had not been exposed to nicotine substances.
The scientists found that the testes of the exposed rodents were smaller than those of the control group. In addition, sperm count was lower, at 95.1 million sperm per milliliter of semen, compared to 98.5 million per milliliter.
Read Also: Men Are Going Extinct as They Are the Weaker Sex According to Duke University Researchers
However, the team points out that animals exposed to regular cigarettes – which have long been associated with male infertility – showed even more troubling results in terms of reduced sperm count and sexual function.
Electronic cigarettes: effects on men’s health to be determined
In their article, published in the Spanish scientific journal Revista Internacional de Andrología, the researchers recommend caution. “It should be taken into account that although e-cigarettes have been presented as harmless in smoking cessation studies, they can increase oxidative stress and cause morphological changes in the testis,” they write.
Read Also: Steroids Could Cause Irreversible Testicular Atrophy
“To consider e-cigarettes as a safe smoking cessation option, more studies on the effects in humans are needed.”
Danish research, published in 2020 and conducted on 2,000 men, had already shown that men who used e-cigarettes daily had a significantly lower total sperm count than non-users.
Final Thoughts
While E-cigarettes are touted as a safer alternative to smoking, their potential risks to male reproductive health are concerning. Users should approach vaping with caution, as the pursuit of a smoke-free life shouldn’t also jeopardize one’s fertility.
References
Saleh, R.A. (2023). The effect of smoking and electronic cigarettes on rat testicles. Revista Internacional de Andrología, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.androl.2023.100365
Stine Agergaard Holmboe, Lærke Priskorn, Tina Kold Jensen, Niels Erik Skakkebaek, Anna-Maria Andersson, Niels Jørgensen, Use of e-cigarettes associated with lower sperm counts in a cross-sectional study of young men from the general population, Human Reproduction, Volume 35, Issue 7, July 2020, Pages 1693–1701, https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deaa089
