Environmental and microbiome determinants of sperm quality: a narrative review on male health.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative literature review synthesizing mechanistic and observational studies without systematic review methodology or meta-analysis.
PubMed 41809810 · doi:10.21037/tau-2025-aw-833
What was done
The authors conducted a narrative literature search in PubMed through June 25, 2025, using terms related to sperm quality, environmental factors (e.g., temperature, heavy metals, pesticides, phthalates, PFAS, radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation, air pollution, Benzo[a]pyrene), viruses, bacteria, and the microbiome. From 250 retrieved records, 82 relevant publications were included and synthesized.
What was found
Of the included references, 84.9% were published between 2020 and 2025. The review summarizes that traditional and emerging pollutants (including PFAS, heavy metals, and 5G radiofrequency radiation) reduce sperm concentration, motility, morphological integrity, and DNA stability. Highlighted biological mechanisms include reactive oxygen species production, endocrine disruption, DNA damage, epigenetic changes, and systemic inflammation. The abstract provides no quantitative effect sizes or pooled numerical outcomes.
Why it matters
It aggregates recent literature on how modern environmental pollutants and emerging exposures may contribute synergistically to declining male sperm quality and reproductive health.
Limits
The study is a non-systematic narrative review lacking formal bias assessment, pre-registered protocols, or meta-analytic pooling. Data derive primarily from diverse observational, animal, and in vitro models, limiting the ability to establish definitive human dose-response thresholds or isolate single pollutant effects.
Cited by
- supports PFAS chemicals are linked to health issues including hormone disruption, gut microbiome disruption, and fertility issues.