Impact of paternal high energy diets on semen quality and embryo development in cattle

Highly anabolic diets and excessive body fat accumulation have been shown to negatively impact sperm biology in humans and murine biomedical models. Current research indicates that obesity is associated with decreased semen quality and represents a major contributor to male subfertility in humans. Male overnutrition is commonly observed in the beef cattle industry and the use of high energy diets during bull development has been shown to negatively impact semen quality. Most research efforts in bovine reproductive physiology have focused on understanding and optimizing female fertility. This emphasis is even more evident in research investigating the relationship between nutritional interventions and reproductive performance, which has limited the development of nutritional strategies that optimize fertility in bulls. Increasing our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that influence bull fertility will contribute to future increases in cattle reproductive and productive efficiency. Moreover, exploring the impact of overnutrition in bulls may offer valuable insight and help address diet-induced male subfertility in humans. Herein, we summarize the currently available literature evaluating the impact of highly anabolic diets on male fertility, with an emphasis in the bovine species. Literature summarized in the present review evaluates the impact of overnutrition on sperm biology, early embryonic development, and explores its potential to impact postnatal performance of the offspring.