News | Can sperm quality predict lifespan? Danish study follows nearly 80,000 men and reveals a striking link between sperm and longevity
Sperm quality may affect not only fertility, but also how long a man lives.
In a study described by experts as a landmark, researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark found a significant association between semen quality and lifespan: men with more motile sperm generally lived longer. The study followed 78,284 men for up to 50 years and was published in Human Reproduction.
120 million motile sperm linked to two or three additional years of life?
The study was jointly led by Dr. Laerke Priskorn and male infertility specialist Dr. Niels Jørgensen of the Department of Growth and Reproduction at Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen. They analyzed semen samples provided by nearly 80,000 men between 1965 and 2015. Most had attended a public semen-analysis laboratory in Copenhagen because of infertility in their partner.
The study found:
Men with a total motile sperm count above 120 million lived an average of two to three years longer than men with counts between 0 and 5 million.
In other words, better sperm motility may be associated with a longer life.
During follow-up, 8,600 men died, about 11% of the sample. The team also conducted a deeper analysis of more than 50,000 men who provided samples after 1987, accounting for education level, as a marker of socioeconomic status, and medical history over the previous decade.
Clear conclusion: the link was not explained by disease alone
“We wanted to know whether semen quality was truly associated with longevity and whether existing illness or social background explained the association,” Dr. Priskorn said. “The data showed that even after accounting for education and known disease, men with poorer sperm quality generally had shorter lifespans.”
Poor sperm quality may therefore signal underlying health problems rather than simply reflect outside factors.
Sperm quality as a health indicator? Testing may matter even in younger men
Dr. Jørgensen said the finding may mean:
“Semen analysis may do more than assess fertility; it may also offer an early window into hidden health risks.”
“Young men who appear healthy but have very poor sperm quality may be more likely to develop certain chronic diseases later,” he added. “Future research will examine whether sperm quality is associated with early death from specific diseases, such as cancer or heart disease, and seek biomarkers that can identify high-risk groups earlier.”
The researchers also acknowledged limitations, including:
Lack of lifestyle data for all participants, such as diet, smoking, and exercise
Inability to determine whether some men with immotile sperm had reproductive tract obstruction
Health information was limited to Danish national medical records and available only for part of the sample
Expert commentary: a landmark study, with oxidative stress as a possible key
Professor Emeritus John Aitken of the University of Newcastle, Australia, called the study groundbreaking in an accompanying commentary and proposed oxidative stress as a possible central mechanism.
He wrote that genetic factors, the immune system, metabolic problems, environmental pollution, and lifestyle can all increase oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can damage sperm and accelerate aging, potentially explaining the association between sperm quality and lifespan.
Professor Aitken also noted that women generally have higher antioxidant concentrations and longer telomeres than men, which may help explain why women typically live longer.
He concluded:
“For both men and women, the secret to longevity and high fertility may be maintaining a healthy redox balance.”
News | Can Sperm Quality Predict Lifespan? Danish Study of Nearly 80,000 Men Reveals a Striking Association
News | Can sperm quality predict lifespan? Danish study follows nearly 80,000 men and reveals a striking link between sperm and longevity
Sperm quality may affect not only fertility, but also how long a man lives.
In a study described by experts as a landmark, researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark found a significant association between semen quality and lifespan: men with more motile sperm generally lived longer. The study followed 78,284 men for up to 50 years and was published in Human Reproduction.
120 million motile sperm linked to two or three additional years of life?
The study was jointly led by Dr. Laerke Priskorn and male infertility specialist Dr. Niels Jørgensen of the Department of Growth and Reproduction at Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen. They analyzed semen samples provided by nearly 80,000 men between 1965 and 2015. Most had attended a public semen-analysis laboratory in Copenhagen because of infertility in their partner.
The study found:
Men with a total motile sperm count above 120 million lived an average of two to three years longer than men with counts between 0 and 5 million.
In other words, better sperm motility may be associated with a longer life.
During follow-up, 8,600 men died, about 11% of the sample. The team also conducted a deeper analysis of more than 50,000 men who provided samples after 1987, accounting for education level, as a marker of socioeconomic status, and medical history over the previous decade.
Clear conclusion: the link was not explained by disease alone
“We wanted to know whether semen quality was truly associated with longevity and whether existing illness or social background explained the association,” Dr. Priskorn said. “The data showed that even after accounting for education and known disease, men with poorer sperm quality generally had shorter lifespans.”
Poor sperm quality may therefore signal underlying health problems rather than simply reflect outside factors.
Sperm quality as a health indicator? Testing may matter even in younger men
Dr. Jørgensen said the finding may mean:
“Semen analysis may do more than assess fertility; it may also offer an early window into hidden health risks.”
“Young men who appear healthy but have very poor sperm quality may be more likely to develop certain chronic diseases later,” he added. “Future research will examine whether sperm quality is associated with early death from specific diseases, such as cancer or heart disease, and seek biomarkers that can identify high-risk groups earlier.”
The researchers also acknowledged limitations, including:
Lack of lifestyle data for all participants, such as diet, smoking, and exercise
Inability to determine whether some men with immotile sperm had reproductive tract obstruction
Health information was limited to Danish national medical records and available only for part of the sample
Expert commentary: a landmark study, with oxidative stress as a possible key
Professor Emeritus John Aitken of the University of Newcastle, Australia, called the study groundbreaking in an accompanying commentary and proposed oxidative stress as a possible central mechanism.
He wrote that genetic factors, the immune system, metabolic problems, environmental pollution, and lifestyle can all increase oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can damage sperm and accelerate aging, potentially explaining the association between sperm quality and lifespan.
Professor Aitken also noted that women generally have higher antioxidant concentrations and longer telomeres than men, which may help explain why women typically live longer.
He concluded:
“For both men and women, the secret to longevity and high fertility may be maintaining a healthy redox balance.”
Source:
Collected online