Infertile men could develop diseases such as diabetes, heart and stroke as reported in the annual Endo 2018 meeting.

Washington, March 18 (Xinhua) .- A new study of the quality of the semen of the man showed that the amount of sperm could be an indicator of the general health of a man and that a low amount of semen could be potentially linkedto diseases.

The results presented today in Endo 2018, the 100th Annual Meeting of the Endocrinology Society in Chicago, is based on 5,177 couples of infertile couples in Italy.

"Our study clearly shows that a low sperm count is associated with metabolic alterations, cardiovascular risks and low bone mass," said study researcher Alberto Ferlin, from the University of Brescia, Italy.

A low sperm count is defined in less than 39 million by ejaculation.

Ferlin said that it is likely that infertile men have other health problems or risk factors that can deteriorate their quality of life or reduce it, so that fertility assessment gives men a unique opportunity to evaluate their health and prevent diseases.

They also have more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease and stroke, researchers reported.

An insulin resistance measure, another problem that can lead to diabetes, is also greater in men with low amount of sperm.

The researchers found 12 times higher risk of lower levels of testosterone in men with low sperm count.Half of men with low testosterone suffer from osteoporosis or have lower bone mass, a possible precursor of osteoporosis, as found in images of bone density.

Ferlin warned that his study does not show that the low amount of sperm causes metabolic disorders, but that the quality of sperm reflects the general health of men.