Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Biomarkers for Detecting Human Sperm Functional Defects
Published on: April 21, 2022
No association between body mass index and sperm DNA integrity
I Bandel1, M Bungum2, J Richtoff3
1Reproductive Medicine Centre, Skåne University Hospital, SE 205 02 Malmö, Sweden Department of Translational Medicine, Malmö, Lund University, SE 205 02 Malmö, Sweden ida.bandel@med.lu.se aleksander.giwercmanl@med.lu.se.
High body mass index (BMI) is not linked to impaired sperm DNA integrity. This study found overweight men had lower DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI) than normal-weight men, suggesting no negative association.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Andrology
- Sperm health
Background:
- Conflicting results exist regarding overweight/obesity's impact on sperm DNA integrity.
- Previous studies often involved smaller sample sizes and primarily subfertile men.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and sperm DNA integrity.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 1503 men from the general population.
- Semen samples analyzed for DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI) using sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA).
- Participants categorized by BMI: underweight, normal, overweight, and obese.
Main Results:
- Normal-weight men exhibited significantly higher DFI compared to overweight men.
- Overweight men showed a reduced risk of DFI >20% and DFI >30% versus normal-weight men.
- Obese men had a higher percentage of progressive motile spermatozoa than normal-weight men, though significance was lost upon exclusion of fertile men.
Conclusions:
- Overweight status is not associated with increased sperm DNA damage.
- The study's cross-sectional nature and inclusion of fertile men are limitations.
- Findings suggest overweight itself does not impair sperm DNA integrity.
More Related Videos
05:55Stable Isotope In-Vivo Labeling for Mass-Spectrometry Identification of Paternal Metabolites Transferred from Sperm to Oocyte During Fertilization
Published on: June 17, 2025
09:16U-Shaped Horizontal Swimming Technique for Preparing High-Quality Sperm with Low DNA Fragmentation Index
Published on: March 28, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Spermatogenesis
Infertility in Males
Sperm Structure and Semen Composition
Obesity
Nondisjunction