A recent study by Jorge Chavarro, an assistant professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, published in Human Reproduction, found that men eating fruits and vegetables high in pesticide residues had lower sperm counts and more oddly-shaped sperm than those who had lower levels of dietary pesticide exposure. Researchers classified the produce as high or low-to-moderate levels of pesticides. The men who ate the high-pesticide fruits and vegetables had a 49% lower total sperm count and a 32% reduction in normally-shaped sperm as compare to the men eating the least amount of high-pesticide produce.
One study isn’t definitive proof of pesticide effects on sperm – but for those men demonstrating low sperm counts, it should be concerning. It isn’t good enough to just eat 5 to 9 fruits and vegetables per day. We all need to find ways to thoroughly wash the pesticides off the food we eat and/or eat organically, if possible.
Here are the fruits and vegetables that were tested ranked from highest level to lowest level of pesticide contamination:
- Green, yellow and red peppers;
- Spinach;
- Strawberries;
- Celery;
- Blueberries;
- Potatoes;
- Peaches and plums;
- Apples and pears;
- Winter squash;
- Kale, mustard greens and swiss chard;
- Grapes and raisins
Until next time…
Dr. Gatis