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Sperm Count in Western Men Has Dropped Over 50 Percent Since 1973, Paper Finds

nytimes.com

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Re: Sperm Count in Western Men Has Dropped Over 50 Percent Since 1973, Paper Finds

#81

Post by justboxing »

Houshalter wrote: post #54
will_brown wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As to (3) obesity, one of the most obvious contributing factors is the increased refined sugar consumption. People are poisoning their mind and bodies. And I know it's controversial and since everyone consumes sugar, everyone gets sensitive and defensive. However, in the 60's/70's nonalcoholic fatty liver disease did not exist in children nor did childhood type 2 diabeties, as to the former the first case in children…

This is the common theory but it doesn't really hold up. The weight of lab animals is also increasing. Even though we have records showing they haven't changed their diets or routines significantly. Chimpanzees in particular, the animal most closely related to humans, have increased in weight drastically each decade. EDIT: Source https://aeon.co/essays/blaming-individuals-for-obesity-may-b... >As were laboratory maca…

> This is the common theory but it doesn't really hold up.

It's not really a 'theory' per sey. 2 independent scientists in UK and US ( I don't remember their names, see the documentary mentioned below) in the 70s came to conclude that Sugar is Toxic and causes fatty liver disease and Cancer. The Sugar Industry in US hired a PR firm comprised of a couple of well known Scientists in the US, and made these scientists who found out that Sugar is Toxic and causes diseases, looks like fools in the media. Then they (Sugar Industry) went 1 step further. The CEO of the Sugar Industry Association (or whatever that entity is called) got onto the FDA committee that was doing research into the toxicity of Sugar at that time, since it was all over the media that Sugar is deemed toxic and causes all kinds of diseases. And surprise, surprise, the committee declared that Sugar is 'GRAS approved by FDA'. GRAS = Generally Recommended as Safe, a label that makes the average consumer feel safe that Sugar is not bad. They (Sugar Industry) also simultaneously transferred the blamed for weight gain on excess consumption of fat * .

This is documented at length in the "Sugar Coated" documentary (available on Netflix) - http://sugarcoateddoc.com/

* Source: NPR: "50 Years Ago, Sugar Industry Quietly Paid Scientists To Point Blame At Fat" http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074/...

Re: Sperm Count in Western Men Has Dropped Over 50 Percent Since 1973, Paper Finds

#85

Post by bonzini »

mrep wrote: post #71
bonzini wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exponential growth won't last forever. Pretty much everything that looks exponential is actually logistic. [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistic_function

Eh, I don't know about that (at least on time frames of a typical human lifespan). For long term things, maybe. Do you have any good reads on that relationship?

Sure, the time frame will vary. But exponential economic growth started much early than the '70s, we just happen to be around when the logistic curve starts to slow down (for population too).

Re: Sperm Count in Western Men Has Dropped Over 50 Percent Since 1973, Paper Finds

#86

Post by lisper »

will_brown wrote: post #38
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #11

Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14855796 As I said in that thread, this is another statistic that had a rapid and precipitous change starting in the early 1970s. I've stated this elsewhere, but it's like something(s) happened the late 60s/early 70s that totally transformed our world and I have no clue what they were nor can I find anyone who has written about it. Wealth inequality [1], Real Wage stag…

As to (3) obesity, one of the most obvious contributing factors is the increased refined sugar consumption. People are poisoning their mind and bodies. And I know it's controversial and since everyone consumes sugar, everyone gets sensitive and defensive. However, in the 60's/70's nonalcoholic fatty liver disease did not exist in children nor did childhood type 2 diabeties, as to the former the first case in children…

I can give you an anecdotal counter-example: when I was a kid I ate tons of sugar. Ice cream. Twinkies. Hi-C. Foot Loops. You name it. If it had sugar in it, I ate it. I was never overweight, nor was I particularly athletic. If anyone should have suffered negative consequences from eating too much sugar, it was me. But nope, I was perfectly svelte and healthy. I graduated high school in 1982.

Re: Sperm Count in Western Men Has Dropped Over 50 Percent Since 1973, Paper Finds

#87

Post by will_brown »

justboxing wrote: post #81
Houshalter wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the common theory but it doesn't really hold up. The weight of lab animals is also increasing. Even though we have records showing they haven't changed their diets or routines significantly. Chimpanzees in particular, the animal most closely related to humans, have increased in weight drastically each decade. EDIT: Source https://aeon.co/essays/blaming-individuals-for-obesity-may-b... >As were laboratory maca…

> This is the common theory but it doesn't really hold up. It's not really a 'theory' per sey. 2 independent scientists in UK and US ( I don't remember their names, see the documentary mentioned below) in the 70s came to conclude that Sugar is Toxic and causes fatty liver disease and Cancer. The Sugar Industry in US hired a PR firm comprised of a couple of well known Scientists in the US, and made these scientists wh…

The most famous line from the special interest groups, "sugar is a healthy and inexpensive source of energy."

It's laughable it's even debated or requires modern study. Humans have been force feeding animals grains since at least ancient Egypt for the purpose of fattening animals, but specifically their liver. After a few thousand years of perfecting the practice the most famous dish is goose liver or foie gras, literally French for fat liver, and after thousands of years of best practice what is used to fatten the goose liver...corn, the same thing we concentrate to sweeten softdrinks (and about everything else).

Still I'm happy to say it's just a contributing factor for obesity, but certainly there is also correlation between obesity and sedentary life style, and coming full circle to the article there is correlation between sedentary lifestyle and lack of testosterone production (in part created/released to repair muscle As a result of physical activity). But hey, even big tobacco is marketing there product as healthy in many parts of the world, as it used to be promoted in the US, it's just where we are with sugar, "it's a healthy and inexpensive source of energy."

Re: Sperm Count in Western Men Has Dropped Over 50 Percent Since 1973, Paper Finds

#88

Post by cameldrv »

I think it's pretty clear that Phthalates are a big piece of the puzzle. Here's the chain of evidence: I just picked one study for every link, but there are many for each.

People have significant levels of Phthalates in their blood: http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/phthal...

People who have higher levels of Phthalates in their blood tend to have lower testosterone: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/830137

There are several pathways how Phthalates might cause this to happen in the human body, including: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26385792

Testosterone levels in Men have been dropping about 1% per year for at least the past 20 years, about the same rate as sperm counts: https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/hormone-therapy/news/pr...

Low Testosterone causes low sperm count: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6772497

Re: Sperm Count in Western Men Has Dropped Over 50 Percent Since 1973, Paper Finds

#89

Post by ryan-allen »

justboxing wrote: post #81
Houshalter wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the common theory but it doesn't really hold up. The weight of lab animals is also increasing. Even though we have records showing they haven't changed their diets or routines significantly. Chimpanzees in particular, the animal most closely related to humans, have increased in weight drastically each decade. EDIT: Source https://aeon.co/essays/blaming-individuals-for-obesity-may-b... >As were laboratory maca…

> This is the common theory but it doesn't really hold up. It's not really a 'theory' per sey. 2 independent scientists in UK and US ( I don't remember their names, see the documentary mentioned below) in the 70s came to conclude that Sugar is Toxic and causes fatty liver disease and Cancer. The Sugar Industry in US hired a PR firm comprised of a couple of well known Scientists in the US, and made these scientists wh…

Big Industry did the same thing with lead in gasoline, once upon a time, and they got away with it for quite a while.

I hope one day we can stop this ongoing crisis after crisis caused by special interests in its tracks.

Re: Sperm Count in Western Men Has Dropped Over 50 Percent Since 1973, Paper Finds

#90

Post by markcerqueira »

petermcneeley wrote: post #53
byproxy wrote: post #3

Are we headed into a "Children of Men" scenario?

Children of men was infertility of women.

The novel the movie was based upon used male infertility. Movie switched that and pinned the infertility on females.

That said, infertility on the man or woman doesn't matter much in a "we want to make babies scenario." The end result is the same: a world like that in The Children of Men.

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