New research by University College London finds that men who use electronic cigarettes are less fertile than nonsmoking males
New research study conducted by University College London found that electronic cigarettes decrease the sperm count in males.
According to the study, which was presented at the Fertility 2017 conference in Edinburgh last week, men who smoke electronic cigarettes have less potent and a lower quantity of sperm than the average male, making it more difficult for them to father a child.
The study also found that even the use of electronic cigarettes without nicotine leads to a reduced sperm count, due to the added chemicals which give the electronic cigarettes their different tastes.
Two of the thousands of flavors of electronic cigarettes the study singled out are cinnamon and bubblegum, with the former reducing the potency of sperm by slowing its “swimming” speed, and the latter harming the ability of sperm-producing cells to generate sperm.
Ilya Barr, chairman of the International Fertility Medical Center in Israel, said in a statement that it is a common misconception that electronic cigarettes are not damaging to one’s health, pointing to the lack of oversight of the chemicals used in their production.
Users of electronic cigarettes — which have grown substantially in popularity since their introduction in the early 2000s — say they are less harmful than regular cigarettes and are a useful tool in helping to stop smoking.
However, critics of electronic cigarettes say that not enough research has been done to determine their health effects, while also pointing to the abundance of flavors as a means of targeting children.
