Abstract

Background: Obesity resulted by imbalance between the intake of energy and energy consumption can lead to growth and metabolic disease development in people. Both in obese men and animal models, several studies indicate that obesity leads to male infertility.

Objective: This review has discussed some mechanisms involved in obesity-induced male infertility.

Methods: Online documents were searched through Science Direct, Pubmed, Scopus, and Google Scholar websites dating from 1959 to recognize studies on obesity, kisspeptin, leptin, and infertility.

Results: Obesity induced elevated inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress can affect male reproductive functions, including spermatogenesis disorders, reduced male fertility power and hormones involved in the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis.

Conclusion: There is significant evidence that obesity resulted in male infertility. Obesity has a negative effect on male reproductive function via several mechanisms such as inflammation and oxidative stress.

Keywords: Obesity, inflammation, oxidative stress, male fertility, spermatogenesis, infertility.