Obesity disturbs semen quality in men: Stanford Study

The new study showed, that overweight and obese men have smaller quantity and quality of semen, suggesting that a weight problem might also affect fertility, researchers say, Newsmax Health reports.

"The heavier the men, the higher the chances of a low sperm count," said urologist Dr. Keith Jarvi. 

Dr. Michael Eisenberg, of Stanford University School of Medicine in California, and his colleagues recruited 468 couples in Texas and Michigan who were planning to conceive a child and tested several aspects of the men's semen.

 They also weighed the men and measured their waists and found that greater waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight relative to height - were both linked to lower ejaculate volume.

"All aspects of semen quality are important," Eisenberg said. "Ejaculate has several chemicals that provide a safer environment for sperm. As such, if the volume is low it may be a problem."

Sperm count, another important metric, was lower among men with bigger waists.