Post Date December, 03 2023
Eating too much animal viscera is detrimental to male infertility
Eating a few skewers of lamb "kidney" during barbecue is a favorite among many men. In addition, influenced by traditional concepts such as "what to eat to make up for what to eat", many men's dining tables are filled with animal organs such as bullwhip, sheep kidney, pig liver, and chicken kidney that have aphrodisiac functions or are rich in zinc. But recently, some experts have pointed out that the nutritional value and risks of animal viscera should be scientifically recognized, because although animal viscera have unique nutritional components, they contain heavy metal cadmium, and eating too much can have infertility effects on men.
High content of heavy metals in viscera
"Animal viscera contain a lot of sex hormones and adrenocortical hormones, which can enhance the vitality of sperm motility and increase sexual desire. It is a kind of folk recognized aphrodisiac product." Ding Degang, chief physician of the Department of Urology of Henan People's Hospital, said, but the seemingly aphrodisiac animal viscera has a hidden infertility crisis.
Recently, experts in Taiwan pointed out that there are different levels of heavy metal cadmium in the liver, kidneys, and other tissues of pigs, cows, and sheep. However, in the food pollutant monitoring report released by the Hubei Provincial Department of Health, the content of metal cadmium in animal kidneys exceeded the national standard value by 100 times. "Cadmium can induce degenerative changes in the structure and function of male organogenesis, such as testes and epididymis, and finally lead to decreased reproductive capacity." Ding Degang said that in addition to heavy metal cadmium, lead can directly act on the core organ of male reproductive system - testes, resulting in a decrease in the number of sperm, an increase in sperm deformity rate, and a decrease in sperm viability, affecting fertility. In theory, the human body has a certain ability to detoxify itself, and toxic substances do not accumulate in the body. But if consumed in excess, the body's own detoxification ability becomes insufficient, and toxic substances will accumulate in the body. When a certain amount is reached, it will damage the body.
Men should limit their consumption of animal organs
"It's not just heavy metals. Animal viscera are easy to be contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms and parasites. If they are not cooked and fried thoroughly, they will also increase people's chances of infecting diseases." Fu Sanxian, a dietitian from the Nutrition Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, said that men are not allowed to eat animal viscera, but they should pay attention to the amount of intake. She suggests eating animal offal at most once or twice a week, and the amount consumed should not exceed 50 grams each time. In addition, when eating animal offal, it is best to mix it with more coarse grains and vegetables to supplement dietary fiber. "Fu Sanxian said that animal offal contains cholic acid, and coarse grains and vegetables have a binding force with cholic acid, which can increase the excretion of cholic acid, reduce cholesterol absorption, and achieve the health effect of lowering blood lipids.
(Intern Editor: Cai Junyi)
