Background: Abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome (MS) and oxidative stress may impair seminal quality leading to derangements in fertility.
Aim: To identify an association between abdominal obesity and markers of seminal oxidative damage in adults with MS.
Material and methods: Seventy males aged 25 to 40 years, with MS according to ATP-III criteria volunteered for this cross-sectional study. The control group included 70 healthy and normal weight adults. Semen analysis included volume, sperm concentration, motility and normal morphologic features. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were measured, fat mass was determined by bioelectrical impedance.
Results: Sperm concentration and the percentage of sperms with normal motility and morphology were significantly lower in adults with MS, when compared to their healthy normal weight counterparts. Seminal levels of malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine were significantly higher among participants with MS. Significant correlations were found between WC and seminal markers of oxidative stress.
Conclusions: Individuals with MS had an impaired seminal quality that may be explained, at least in part, by increased seminal oxidative damage.