| 12/02/2002 | Frequent mountain-biking may reduce fertility in men, according to a small Austrian study that adds fodder to a debate over cycling and male sexual function.
The research suggests frequent jolts and vibration caused by biking over rough terrain may cause abnormalities, including small scars within the scrotum and impaired sperm production.
The abnormalities were found in professional mountain bikers and other ``extreme'' bikers who logged at least 3,000 miles yearly -- or an average of more than two hours a day, six days a week.
Dr. Ferdinand Frauscher, a urology-radiology specialist at University Hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, said he studied about 55 avid mountain bikers and found nearly 90 percent had low sperm counts and scrotal abnormalities.
Only 26 percent of the 35 non-bikers he studied had similar damage, according to research presented at this week's annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.library.northernlight.com/EC20021202320000029.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0
|
|
|
