E-cigarette vapor’s impact on the male urogenital system
Reduces sperm count, shrinks testicle size, and diminishes libido in males
E-cigarette stock photo / New Africa-Shutterstock.com
The results of an investigation into the effects of e-cigarette smoke on the male urogenital system have been released.
A recent paper titled “The Effects of Smoking and E-Cigarette Vapor on the Male Urogenital System” by a research team from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Kümhuriyet in Sivas Province, Turkey, has been published in the Spanish medical journal International Journal of Men’s Health.
The study divided male rats into three groups for the experiment: a group exposed to regular cigarette smoke, a group exposed to e-cigarette vapor, and a group not disclosed to any smoke.
The groups exposed to smoke were each exposed to cigarette smoke twice a day for one hour at a time.
The research team examined the cotinine levels, a byproduct of nicotine metabolism, in the rats’ urine and confirmed the results by measuring sperm count, testicle size, and reproductive gland index.
The results showed that the sperm count of the rats not exposed to smoke was measured at 98.5 million per ml. However, the sperm count of the rats exposed to e-cigarette vapor was 95.1 million per ml. The rats exposed to regular cigarette smoke showed 89 million per ml.
Furthermore, microscopic observation of the testicle structure revealed structural changes in 5 out of 8 rats in the e-cigarette experiment group.
The researchers stated, “E-cigarettes are known to be less harmful than regular cigarettes, but we were able to confirm that they can harm the human body.” They explained, “Cigarette smoke can increase oxidative stress and cause morphological changes in the testicles.”
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