New research by Australian fertility experts
has shown that IVF success rates drop as
men age, debunking the myth that only
women experience declining fertility as they
get older. Researchers discovered that in
couples with unexplained infertility,
increasing male age is associated with
higher miscarriage rates and falling rates of
live birth, clinical pregnancy and embryo
implantation. The male study participants’
chance of live birth decreased by 4.1 percent
with each year of increased age and the
chance of conceiving halved from the age of
50, compared with men under 40. “We
found that male age always has a negative
eff ect on fertility, even if men partner with
younger women,” says lead author
Fabrizzio Horta of Monash University
School of Clinical Sciences. “By controlling
the impact of female age and confounding
factors, we were able to look specifi cally at
the eff ect of male ageing for couples
undergoing IVF.”
BREAKFAST MENU, PLEASE
There’s a never-ending debate about whether or not we should eat breakfast, but
a new study has said that we should eat breakfast, and it should be a big one.
The study found that eating a large breakfast versus a large dinner can have a
pronounced impact on our metabolism. Researchers studied 16 participants
who ate a more calorifi c breakfast and a less calorifi c dinner for one round,
followed by the opposite in a second round. This showed that eating a larger
portion of calories in the morning was associated with a DIT (a marker for
how well our metabolism is working) that was more than twice as high. Peaks
in blood sugar and insulin as a result of eating were also less severe after a
large breakfast than a large dinner, while a smaller breakfast was associated
with more sugar cravings throughout the day. “Our results show that a meal
eaten for breakfast, regardless of the amount of calories it contains, creates
twice as high diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) as the same meal consumed for
dinner,” says study author Juliane Richter. »Hold your drink
Replenishing electrolytes with a sports drink has long been used for athletic
recovery, but a new study has found that electrolyte supplements mightnot
be as helpful as previously thought. “Electrolyte supplements are promoted
as preventing nausea and [muscle] cramping caused by low salt levels,but
this is a false paradigm,” says the study’s lead author Grant Lipman. After
analysing ultra-marathoners who ran 250km in extreme weather over seven
days, a blood test was taken on the fi nal day to examine sodium levels. Ofthe
266 participants, 41 had sodium imbalances, including 11 with not enough
sodium and 30 with dehydration and too much sodium. “Overhydratingcan
reduce electrolyte levels, and electrolyte supplements aren’t going to protect
you,” explains Grant. Instead, training, maintaining a lower body mass and
avoiding over-hydration are more promising factors in preventing imbalance.Tick, tock
be informed