By Adeola Atanda
While fathers who consume alcohol do not directly cause fetal alcohol syndrome in their newborns, they actually do so in another way. Fetal alcohol syndrome occurs when a baby comes into contact with alcohol before birth.
Medical experts have said that the health condition can affect how a child’s body, behavior, and brain develop as they grow up, and these effects can last throughout a person’s life.
The experts explain that while male sperm cannot cause fetal alcohol syndrome to occur, the health of sperm can make a child more at risk of developing fetal alcohol syndrome.
PubMed Central research indicates that regular alcohol intake can affect a man’s sperm. This includes causing abnormality in sperm sizes and shapes, reduced sperm count, and changes in sperm DNA.
Apart from alcohol, overheating the sperm can also reduce a person’s sperm count. This can occur from wearing tight-fitting clothing or spending a lot of time in hot environments such as saunas.
Tips for healthy sperm
It is said that taking certain precautions to ensure a healthy sperm equally contributes to overall health.
The following tips will help to improve sperm health.
- Following a healthy diet
- Getting a good amount of sleep every night
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Exercising regularly
- Avoiding smoking
- Limiting alcohol intake.
