[SIZE=6] http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/08/health/ibuprofen-male-fertility-study/index.html?sr=fbCNN010818ibuprofen-male-fertility-study0352PMStoryGalLink
Ibuprofen linked to male infertility, study says[/SIZE]
By Susan Scutti, CNN
Updated 0640 GMT (1440 HKT) January 9, 2018
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[SIZE=4]Story highlights[/SIZE]
[ul]
[li]Aspirin, acetaminophen (paracetamol) and ibuprofen disrupt male hormones[/li][li]Taken in high daily doses, ibuprofen induced compensated hypogonadism in young men[/li][/ul]
(CNN)Ibuprofen has a negative impact on the testicles of young men, a study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found. When taking ibuprofen in doses commonly used by athletes, a small sample of young men developed a hormonal condition that typically begins, if at all, during middle age. This condition is linked to reduced fertility.
Advil and Motrin are two brand names for ibuprofen, an over-the-counter pain reliever. CNN has contacted Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, the makers of both brands, for comment.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a trade group that represents manufacturers of over-the-counter medications and supplements, “supports and encourages continued research and promotes ongoing consumer education to help ensure safe use of OTC medicines,” said Mike Tringale, a spokesman for the association. “The safety and efficacy of active ingredients in these products has been well documented and supported by decades of scientific study and real-world use.”
The new study is a continuation of research that began with pregnant women, explained Bernard Jégou, co-author and director of the Institute of Research in Environmental and Occupational Health in France.
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Jégou and a team of French and Danish researchers had been exploring the health effects when a mother-to-be took any one of three mild pain relievers found in medicine chests around the globe: aspirin, acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol and sold under the brand name Tylenol) and ibuprofen.
Their early experiments, published in several papers, showed that when taken during pregnancy, all three of these mild medicines affected the testicles of male babies.
[SIZE=4]Testicles and testosterone[/SIZE]
Testicles not only produce sperm, they secrete testosterone, the primary male sex hormone.
All three drugs then are “anti-androgenic,” meaning they disrupt male hormones, explained David M. Kristensen, study co-author and a senior scientist in the Department of Neurology at Copenhagen University Hospital.
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The three drugs even increased the likelihood that male babies would be born with congenital malformations, Kristensen noted.
Tringale noted that pregnant and nursing women should always ask a health professional before using medicines.
Knowing this, “we wondered what would happen in the adult,” he said. They focused their investigation on ibuprofen, which had the strongest effects.
A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen is often taken by athletes, including Olympians and professional soccer players for example, before an event to prevent pain, Jégou said. Are there health consequences for the athletes who routinely use this NSAID?
The research team recruited 31 male volunteers between the ages of 18 and 35. Of these, 14 were given a daily dosage of ibuprofen that many professional and amateur athletes take: 600 milligrams twice a day, explained Jégou. (This 1200-mg-per-day dose is the maximum limit as directed by the labels of generic ibuprofen products.) The remaining 17 volunteers were given a placebo.
[URL=‘http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/02/health/male-birth-control-shot/index.html’]http://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/120327070156-syringe-story-top.jpg
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For the men taking ibuprofen, within 14 days, their luteinizing hormones – which are secreted by the pituitary gland and stimulate the testicles to produce testosterone – became coordinated with the level of ibuprofen circulating in their blood. At the same time, the ratio of testosterone to luteinizing hormones decreased, a sign of dysfunctional testicles.
This hormonal imbalance produced compensated hypogonadism, a condition associated with impaired fertility, depression and increased risk for cardiovascular events, including heart failure and stroke.
For the small group of young study participants who used ibuprofen for only a short time, “it is sure that these effects are reversible,” Jégou said. However, it’s unknown whether the health effects of long-term ibuprofen use are reversible, he said.
After this randomized, controlled clinical trial, the research team experimented with “little bits of human testes” provided by organ donors and then conducted test tube experiments on the endocrine cells, called Leydig and Sertoli cells, which produce testosterone, explained Jégou.
