A new study conducted by researchers at University of Buffalo has found that male teenagers who are fat have ‘horrendously’ low levels of testosterone and that this could lead to infertility when they are adults. The researchers tested the testosterone levels in 25 obese boys and 25 normal weight boys between 14 and 20 years of age and found that it was nearly 50 percent lower compared to that among boys with normal weight and the levels decreased as the body mass index increased.
Low levels of testosterone could slow down or half sexual maturation and could lead to infertility.
“The implications of our findings are, frankly, horrendous because these boys are potentially impotent and infertile. The message is a grim one with massive epidemiological implications. These findings demonstrate that the effect of obesity is powerful, even in the young, and that lifestyle and nutritional intake starting in childhood have major repercussions throughout all stages of life”, lead researcher Professor Paresh Dandona said.
Source-Medindia