Many people know that obesity will affect the appearance, increase the burden on the body, and have a negative impact on various organs.
A recent study showed that for men, obesity also attacks their reproductive system and destroys fertility.
"Life Times" interviewed experts to tell you how obesity threatens men's health, and teach you how to lose weight scientifically.
Experts interviewed
Li Hongjun, Chief Physician of the Department of Urology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital
Obesity destroys male fertility
A new research review published in the Chinese Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism points out that obesity can cause reproductive dysfunction in men through a variety of mechanisms and pathways, threatening the health of themselves and the next generation.
Disrupts hormone secretion
Obesity leads to altered levels of a variety of hormones, affecting testicular spermatogenesis and male sexual function.
Studies have shown that the concentration, morphology, and motility of sperm in obese men are not as good as those of men of normal weight. Obese people often lack exercise and lose the protective effect of physical exercise on the endocrine and reproductive systems.
Destruction of genital structure and function
Excess fat accumulates in the interstitium of the testis and even penetrates the basement membrane, forming a fatty toxic microenvironment that affects testicular structure and function.
The accumulation of fat around the scrotum makes it impossible to dissipate heat, and if it sits for a long time, the local temperature of the reproductive organs is higher, which further affects the sperm quantity and quality.
Triggers chronic inflammation
Hypertrophic white adipose tissue releases a large amount of adipokines, pro-inflammatory factors, and chemokines, causing the body to produce an inflammatory microenvironment, inducing testicular cell damage, and affecting sperm production.
Fat metabolism produces a large amount of free fatty acids, which causes fat toxicity to organs, promotes oxidative stress, affects male fertility, and causes abnormal sperm morphology and decreased motility.
Causes genetic changes
Studies have found that male obesity affects the DNA methylation process of sperm, which affects offspring by regulating the formation and development of germ cells, and passes obesity and related diseases to the next generation.
Li Hongjun, chief physician of the Department of Urology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that clinically, among men with fertility difficulties, obese patients account for about 1/5.
Obesity can also affect sexual desire between husband and wife, induce sexual dysfunction and other problems, and in the process of weight loss, improper dietary restriction causes nutritional imbalance, which may affect fertility.
What criteria do you need to lose weight?
In addition to affecting reproductive health, obesity will also have a series of effects on the body, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, diabetes and other diseases are related to obesity to a certain extent.
How can you tell if you need to lose weight? Here are a few criteria to consider.
1 Ideal weight
Ideal weight (kg) = height (cm) - 105, such as an adult with a height of 170 cm, the ideal weight is 65 kg, but this formula is not suitable for children.
2 Body Mass Index
Body mass index (BMI) = weight (kg) / height (m) squared, according to the standard of the mainland, BMI between 18.5~24 is normal weight, more than 24 is overweight, more than 28 is obese.
3. Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio
When measuring waist circumference, stand with your feet 30 cm apart, and the measurement area should be flat and close to the skin with a soft ruler, but not compressed. The waist circumference should be less than 85 cm for adult men and less than 80 cm for women.
The waist-to-hip ratio is the ratio of waist circumference to hip circumference, measure the most protruding hip circumference with a soft ruler, calculate the waist-hip ratio, waist-to-hip ratio is greater than 0.9 for men and 0.85 for women, and it is necessary to manage weight in time.
4. Subcutaneous fat thickness
The thickness of the subcutaneous fat in the abdominal wall is usually measured by a professional sebum thickness meter. It should be less than 15 mm for men and 20 mm for women.
People who are sedentary, stressed, eat too fast, lack of sleep for a long time, eat irregularly, and often hunched over are more likely to gain weight and need to focus on their own health conditions.
How to lose excess fat
If there is abnormal reproductive function due to obesity, it is necessary to lose weight in time, and if necessary, drugs or assisted reproductive technology can be used to solve fertility problems.
The causes of obesity are complex, lifestyle, genetics and other factors are affected, and the method of weight loss should be scientific, and it is best to carry out it under the guidance of a doctor.
Zhu Weimo, an academician of the American Academy of Sports Sciences and a tenured professor at the University of Illinois, once said in an interview that the success of weight loss is related to doing three things every day:
Eat breakfast every day
Skipping breakfast can lead to being hungry at lunch, often eating more, increasing total energy and losing weight.
- Eat plenty of protein foods, such as milk, boiled eggs, soy products, and lean meats.
- The staple food is multigrain rice or steamed bread (fresh corn or potatoes are substituted for part), and bread, biscuits, and oil cakes are not chosen.
- Vegetables are best served cold, boiled, less salt and less oil, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, etc., it is better to eat whole fruits than to drink juice.
Weigh yourself daily
To observe the change of weight at any time, some studies have found that the same weight losers, those who weigh every day lose 3% of their body weight in a year, those who do not weigh often have almost no change, and those who weigh themselves every day can still maintain the weight lost after one year.
Exercise for one hour a day
The most basic principle of weight loss is to "break even" with energy. If you want to lose 10% of your body weight, you need to reduce your energy intake by 22%, so it's important to combine exercise.
Jogging, climbing, walking, brisk walking, dancing, and yoga can all effectively reduce BMI. Scientific studies have found that exercising in the morning is more effective for weight loss, and doing 45 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise in the morning can help the body burn 190 kilocalories more in a day.
According to the observation of weight loss-related research and the army of weight loss failures, Zhu Weimo has the following suggestions for Chinese people to lose weight:
1. Lose weight slowly: If the weight loss rate is too fast and too violent, the body will start a natural protection response - the basal metabolic rate decreases, and the hunger pang increases, resulting in weight loss failure.
2. Fight against "hunger": The most sensitive to hunger is the blood sugar level and stomach satiety, and ensuring a relatively stable blood sugar level and stomach satiety is the key.
Small ways to fight hunger: have a certain amount of protein and crude fiber for breakfast; Eat some fruit or nuts between meals; Drink soup before meals; If you exercise in the afternoon, try to do it before dinner as much as possible, and drink some water after the exercise to not have too much appetite.
It should be reminded that weight loss needs to be gradual, and the WHO recommendation is: lose 0.5~1 kg per week and 1~3 kg a month. ▲
Editor of this issue: Wang Xiaoqing
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