Association between dietary intake estimated levels of PCDD/Fs and human sperm quality

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This study aimed to investigate the association between estimated dietary intake of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and human sperm quality. This study cross-sectionally assessed the associations between estimated dietary intake of PCDD/Fs and sperm quality parameters in 200 participants aged 18-40 years from the Led-Fertyl study. Linear regression models, accounting for potential confounding variables, were employed to evaluate the relationships. To estimate the PCDD/Fs exposure, food frequency questionnaires and the latest data on PCDD/Fs concentrations in food, primarily from Spanish sources, were used. Our findings indicate that, in comparison to participants in the lowest tertile, those in the highest tertile (T3) of PCDD/Fs dietary intake exhibited significantly elevated body mass index, increased consumption of meat, fish and eggs, and decreased consumption of nuts. Furthermore, individuals in T3 demonstrated a higher percentage of sperm head abnormalities (4.65 % [0.10; 9.24]; p-trend= 0.037) and a corresponding increase per 1-SD increment in energy-adjusted total PCDD/Fs dietary intake (1.84 % [0.38; 3.68]). No significant associations for other sperm parameters were found. Minimal research exists on PCDD/F dietary exposure and human sperm quality. This study shows significant direct association between higher PCDD/Fs intake and the percentage of sperm head abnormalities which potentially may compromise human reproductive health.