[Research progress in obesity-induced low fertility in males]

The prevalence of obesity in men of reproductive age is globally increasing. Obesity alters the ratio of testosterone to estradiol and the homeostasis of leptin and other hormone levels by interfering with the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis. In addition, it may change epigenetic modifications and intergenerational transmission, which would affect the health of the offspring. Both of the pathways reduce male fertility, which may be associated with the obesity-induced change in the levels of some hormones and consequently the alteration of epigenetic modifications. This review focuses on the adverse effects of obesity on male fertility by influencing endocrine hormones and epigenetic modifications, and further discusses the effects of endocrine hormones on male fertility by epigenetic modification, aiming to provide some basic data for the prevention and treatment of obesity-related male fertility in clinical practice.