Experts have long established the relationship between diabetes and erectile dysfunction. However, it appears that erectile dysfunction isn’t the only reproductive health condition that’s tied to diabetes. A recent study indicates that infertility is also tied to prediabetes.
When you have prediabetes, it means you’re heading towards type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, you can prevent it from happening if you adjust your lifestyle and dietary pattern. Here’s how infertility is tied to prediabetes and how you can avoid your condition from progressing to diabetes.
Overview
Prediabetes is basically a warning sign telling you that you may soon develop type 2 diabetes. It means that you’ve got an elevated blood sugar level that’s way above normal. However, it’s not yet high enough to be properly diagnosed as diabetes.
Prediabetes also means that your body may already be starting to experience the damages that are typically associated with long-term diabetes. Your blood vessels, heart, and kidneys may already be deteriorating. If that’s not problematic enough, prediabetes is also associated with erectile dysfunction.
Fortunately, with timely intervention and lifestyle changes, you can stop prediabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes. It does require a lot of self-discipline, especially when it comes to changing the way you eat, monitoring your weight, and getting sufficient physical exercise.
Most people who have prediabetes don’t usually know it because prediabetes doesn’t really have overt or observable symptoms. However, when you’re already progressing from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes, that’s when the symptoms start showing up.
Such symptoms include increased hunger and thirst and frequent urination. You may also notice that you’re losing some weight although you’re actually eating more. In addition, you may observe darkened skin in some parts of your body such as on your neck or armpits. Fatigue and blurred vision are also early signs of diabetes.
Prediabetes and Male Infertility
The BJU International, a peer-reviewed medical journal, recently published the results of a cross-sectional study that revealed the prevalence of prediabetes in men who are infertile. The researchers analyzed data collected from more than 700 infertile men.
Their findings show that more than 15% of the infertile men had prediabetes mellitus. Those with prediabetes tended to have lower total testosterone levels. Their sex hormone-binding globulin levels were also lower compared to infertile men without prediabetes.
However, the follicle stimulating hormone levels of the infertile men with prediabetes were higher compared to those without prediabetes. With regard to age, those with prediabetes were much older than the infertile men without prediabetes.
In addition, the researchers found that infertile men with prediabetes also tended to have a higher sperm DNA fragmentation index. Idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermia or unexplained absence of live sperm in the semen is also more prevalent in prediabetic infertile men.
Avoiding Type 2 Diabetes
If you don’t want to suffer from type 2 diabetes, there are several lifestyle modifications that can help you. One of the first things you should do is to change your dietary pattern and switch to healthier foods. Doing so can also help you lose weight and improve your body composition, which can further reduce your risks of type 2 diabetes.
Kale, spinach, and other leafy greens are great for you because they’re extremely nutritious and they don’t contain a lot of digestible carbohydrates. Plus, leafy greens contain a lot of vitamin C, which can help reduce your inflammatory markers and improve your fasting blood sugar levels.
People with diabetes are advised to eat at least 2.5 cups of vegetables every day. Whether you have prediabetes only or type 2 diabetes already, eating such amounts of veggies can only mean good things for your health. And you can expect your fertility to increase, too.
Vegetables are excellent sources of nutrients that are much needed for producing high-quality sperm. In addition, vegetables are also rich in various types of antioxidants that not only protect your testicular cells from oxidative stress but also enhance your sperm health.
For snacks, skip the potato chips and munch on nuts instead. Not only do nuts contain low digestible carbs, but they’re also able to reduce inflammation and lower your blood sugar levels.
Greek yogurt can also help you control your blood sugar levels, plus it can help you lose weight. Chia seeds and flaxseeds are also great for people with diabetes. Chia seeds are fiber-rich, and yet they contain a very low amount of digestible carbohydrates.
In addition, chia seeds can also make you feel full, which is why people trying to lose weight often consume a lot of chia seeds. Flaxseeds also have the same effects, and the lignans found flaxseeds can improve your blood sugar levels while reducing your risks for heart diseases.
If you’re not fond of plant-based foods, fatty fish and eggs can also help you control your blood sugar levels. Even better, fatty fish like salmon are rich in EPA and DHA, two types of omega-3 fatty acids that you also need in order to improve your fertility.
Regular physical activities can also greatly improve your chances of preventing type 2 diabetes. When you shed off those excess pounds, your body will be able to manage your blood sugar levels better.
Plus, you can also reduce your risks of developing atherosclerosis and hypertension, which are both complications associated with diabetes. When you regularly exercise, it can improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin.
Enhancing Your Fertility
Men with idiopathic fertility can benefit a lot from all-natural male enhancement supplement, a supplement that not only improves your sexual performance but also enhances your fertility.
Formulated using some of the most potent herbal ingredients for improving male sexual prowess, it can effectively improve your testosterone levels, increase your sperm count and motility, as well as dramatically enhance your erectile function.
It contains herbs such as maca, Tongkat Ali, horny goat weed, and Tribulus terrestris. These herbs are all known for their positive impacts on sperm count and quality. And they’re also extremely popular for their erection-boosting and sexual vigor-enhancing effects.
Aside from these four amazing herbs, it also contains Butea superba, muira puama, Xanthoparmelia scabrosa, L-arginine, and damiana. All these natural ingredients work together to give you that fertility boost and sexual enhancement that you’re looking for.