Some new research by scientists in France and the UK has found high concentrations of aluminium in human semen and a likely correlation to low sperm count and infertility.
Sperm quality decrease since at least 1950
There has been a deterioration in sperm quality observed by scientists over the last few decades. A paper that reviewed 61 studies of semen quality between 1938 and 1990 came to the astounding conclusion that sperm count had halved during that time. That’s just one example, and the decline is continuing (1).
High aluminium concentrations and low sperm count
The recent aluminium study was carried out on 62 patients, which found a sperm concentration of 339 μg/L, quite a high level for the human body (2).
They found that all patients with a high aluminium count had low sperm count. While they could not rule out other factors at play, the strong correlation and no evidence of other factors suggests aluminium may play an important part in declining sperm count.
More Aluminium issues in the body
Aluminium concentrations in the body have also been associated with some degenerative brain conditions. However you’d be unlikely to get enough for this to occur unless you’re working with aluminium in your job (3) or living next to a processing facility of some kind. But again, the studies are inconclusive.
Just to throw another log on the (potential) fire, it’s also been associated with bone mass loss.
What to do: protect your sperm!
Conclusion: while the aluminium link is not definitive, it’s probably best to avoid aluminium exposure if your sperm count is important to you. And if your brain health is important to you.
It’s one of those sneaky things that git in lots of places. Get rid of any aluminium pots for starters - if you have them that’s probably your main exposure. Many water utilities use aluminium salts to treat the water so water filters are handy here. It also gets into our food through a number of additives, here’s a list of numbers to be aware of if you want to get that extra mile: E173, E520, E521, E523 E541, E545, E554, E555 E556, E559
Also good iron, calcium and magnesium levels appear to block aluminium uptake.
1. http://www.livescience.com/22694-global-sperm-count-decline.html
2. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890623814002548
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2782734/