Kefir milk consumption decreases sperm alterations due to the high-fat diet in adult male rats.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether Kefir could protect against the decline in sperm quality caused by a high-fat diet in adult rats.
Results Summary
Kefir improved sperm density, viability, mobility, and reduced morphological abnormalities in rats on a high-fat diet. It also corrected lipid profiles and maintained normal spermatogenesis compared to the high-fat diet group.
Population
Adult male rats
Effective Dosage
1 ml/100 g body weight of Kefir milk
Duration
60 days
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kefir milk + high-fat diet | increase | sperm density | adult rats | 64.28 10^6/ml vs 54.14 10^6/ml | improved | #1 |
Kefir milk + high-fat diet | increase | sperm viability | adult rats | 70.50% vs 55.33% | improved | #2 |
Kefir milk + high-fat diet | increase | sperm mobility | adult rats | 65.40% vs 63.60% | improved | #3 |
Kefir milk + high-fat diet | decrease | sperm morphological abnormalities | adult rats | 52% vs 25% | improved | #4 |
Kefir milk + high-fat diet | decrease | Triglycerides | adult rats | 128.39 mg/dl vs 102.85 mg/dl | corrected | #5 |
Kefir milk + high-fat diet | decrease | C-LDL | adult rats | 13.65 mg/dl vs 15.32 mg/dl | corrected | #6 |
Kefir milk + high-fat diet | increase | C-HDL | adult rats | 23.21 mg/dl vs 19.15 mg/dl | corrected | #7 |
Kefir milk + high-fat diet | increase | spermatogenesis | adult rats | - | revealed a normal spermatogenesis | #8 |
high-fat diet | decrease | testicular epithelium | adult rats | - | showed a serious disruption and damage | #9 |
Over the past decades, an increase of male infertility through the decrease of sperm count has been noted. It has been suggested that environmental factors and lifestyle could a negative impact over sperm quality. Among these factors, the consumption of foods high in fat, which leads to overweight and obesity, can negatively influence fertility. The present study was designed to highlight the protective effect of Kefir, natural probiotic, against the decline in sperm quality related to fat high diet. Thirty adult rats were divided into four groups: Control (1 ml/100 g of body weight (bw) of semi-shimmed cow milk), KM (1 ml/100 g bw of Kefir milk), HFD (1 ml/100 g bw of semi-shimmed cow milk + high-fat diet) and KM/HFD (1 ml/100 g bw Kefir milk + high-fat diet). After 60 days of treatment, sperm quality, biochemical assays of lipids profil, blood cell count and histological examination in testis were assessed. The results described an improved of sperm density (64.28 106 ml vs 54.14 106 ml), viability (70.50% vs 55.33%), mobility (65.40% vs 63.60%) and morphological abnormalities (52% vs 25%) in the KM/HFD group compared to HFD group. In the same group, the lipid profil (Triglycerides (128.39 mg/dl vs 102.85 mg/dl), C-LDL (13.65 mg/dl vs 15.32 mg/dl) and C-HDL (23.21 mg/dl vs 19.15 mg/dl)) was corrected compared to HFD group. The histological observation of testis revealed a normal spermatogenesis compared to seminiferous tubules of HFD group, which showed a serious disruption and damage of testicular epithelium exerted by the high-fat diet. These findings corroborated the previous beneficial effect of Kefir and brought new insights into its beneficial effect against deteriorated spermatogenesis in obese adult rats.