Influence of the different types and parameters of the physical exercise on seminal quality: a systematic review of the literature

Abstract

The positive importance of physical activity properly prescribed in terms of intensity and volume on a variety of metabolic, musculoskeletal, cognitive and other disorders is widely known. The increasing epidemiology of infertility is due to the changes in lifestyle habits, such as inappropriate diets or the radiations from new-generation electrical devices. There are not many informative evidences regarding either infertility causes and effects, or the exercise role in reversing its symptoms. In order to obtain and summarize the most relevant information about the influence of the different training types and parameters in the semen quality criteria, a descriptive literature review without temporal restriction of WOS, PubMed and Scholar data bases has been conducted. The study produced the following results; whilst a high intensity and prolonged volume training produce a drop in the gonadal hormone concentrations and the antioxidant levels and, therefore, in the sperm quality, moderate exercise reverts these effects and could potentially influence a possible optimization of the sperm generating processes. Key words: Training, male infertility, gonadal hormones, seminal oxidative stress, sperm quality.