The Morning Dose #6: Fertility, Anti-Aging, and the Dangers of Alcohol

In this week’s edition of The Morning Dose:

Everyday Plastics May Be Killing Your Sperm

One Step Closer to Stopping the Aging Process

 Alcohol and Testosterone (It’s Worse Than You Thought)

Let’s inject this.

First time reading? I’m Matt and this is The Morning Dose. Every week, our team scours 100s of sources to bring you need-to-know news and insights you won’t find elsewhere. All in 5 minutes. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up here.

Research Corner: BPA May Cause Infertility

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a common plastic used in all sorts of everyday items… and an endocrine disruptor chemical, or EDC.

As researchers explore why testosterone levels and fertility rates continue to decline in the general population year after year, they’ve found one major culprit – EDCs.

BPA, one of the worst EDCs, is commonly found in plastic bottles, canned food, children’s toys, certain types of eyeglasses, epoxy resins, and more.

If you’ve had a beverage from a plastic bottle, reheated your food in plastic Tupperware, or simply inhaled the wrong air (which you can’t control), you’ve probably been exposed to BPA.

Once it enters your body, BPA binds to receptors and triggers “estrogen-like” effects.

Not great.

Knowledgeable doctors have long suspected that EDC exposure is a leading cause of low testosterone, and now we have proof.

A new review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences found that BPA leads to poor sperm quality and infertility, thanks to its estrogen-like effects.

Now, we can’t avoid BPA entirely, but we can start by avoiding most plastic containers, storing your food in glass containers, and generally trying to avoid heavily processed foods.

The research isn’t clear how much the average person’s exposure really impacts your body, but occupational exposure–those working with BPA-containing chemicals, is clearly going to be bad for your fertility.

If you work with chemicals, be sure to follow proper safety precautions.

Many bottles and plastics are proudly BPA-free, so if you see that label on something, it should be safe.

For everyone else, do what you can, and make sure to stay on top of your bloodwork to monitor your hormone levels every year.

One Step Closer to Slowing Aging

Walk into any health store, and you’ll find no shortage of supplements that claim to reduce aging.

It gets worse if you go online–all sorts of gurus and experts have hacks and methods to prevent aging. Some may help a little, some are complete nonsense, and many of them are based on pure speculation.

Well, researchers have just discovered one of the main causes of chronic inflammation that rapidly accelerates aging.

Researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine have found that improper calcium uptake is one of the leading drivers of early aging.

The team found that as we age, the mitochondria in our cells lose the ability to absorb and utilize calcium, leading to an excess buildup throughout the body.

Now, we’re not saying to avoid calcium–we need it. The problem is that your body simply can’t use it appropriately as you age.

This hasn’t solved the aging problem, yet, but it’s a giant step closer.

The leading researcher from UVA, Dr. Desai, believes that once we develop a drug that restores proper calcium use, we’ll significantly slow neurodegeneration, reduce the risk of brain and cardiovascular disease, and enjoy happy, healthy lives well into old age.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one, and be sure to keep you posted once scientists start their drug research.

 Alcohol and Testosterone (It’s Worse Than You Thought)

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that alcohol probably isn’t good for your health…

As anyone who’s been hungover can tell you, too much alcohol makes you feel like you’ve been run over by a truck.

However, even drinking in moderation can cause serious issues, especially for the men reading this.

A new meta-analysis looked at 23,258 men between the ages of 20-51, and the results were not great.

Compared with no alcohol consumption, consuming more than one drink per week was associated with lower sperm volume, lower levels of antioxidant enzymes in sperm, and lower levels of testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone.

Yeah… it’s hard to find a positive for drinking, aside from the social aspect and relaxation it can provide.

Now look, we’re not saying you should never drink. We all have our vices, and most people aren’t going to give up drinking entirely.

But ignoring the reality is simply doing your body a disservice. Even if you don’t feel hungover, alcohol is going to have a negative impact on your sexual health and testosterone levels.

If you’re going out this weekend, consider moderating your alcohol intake–your hormones will thank you.