By Gyna Jean-Pierre
CSMS Magazine Staff Writer
Men who exhibited such vocal characteristic as attempting to interrupt conversation and making quick responses were 60% more likely to die sooner than men who spoke quietly and were more laid back.
Theory: social dominating men need to be in control at all times. This increases levels of stress hormones in the blood, which can, over time, damage the heart and immune system.
Men and their Metabolism
As men age, their metabolism becomes less “flexible.” A study comparing men in their 20s with those in their 60s and 70s found that when the men fed as extra 1,000 calories a day, members of the younger group were able to naturally burn up some of the extra food, while the older group naturally burned up less and gained more weight. The research suggested that exercise may help older men burn off extra calories directly and also indirectly by improving the body’s capability to speed up its metabolism.
Potbelly Risk
Men with potbellies face a heighted risk of stroke.
Critical factor: the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). In a study, men with the highest WHRs (above 0.98) suffered two to three times the number of strokes as men with the lowest WHRs (0.89). To calculate your WHR, divide your waist measurement by you hip measurement.
Almost all men can become fathers
Men who have no viable sperm in their semen almost always have some unmoving sperm in their testicles. Those sperm can fertilize an egg if they are injected into it. This used to require expensive, painful surgery to obtain the sperm. Now the sperm are aspirated through a thin needle in a procedure that is simple enough to be done in a doctor’s office.
Infertility Factors
Unexplained infertility is often the result of leukocytospermia, a condition in which the man’s white blood cells adversely affect his sperm cells.
Good news: in a study, fertility rates increased eightfold when the man and the woman began taking the antibiotic doxycycline. Antibiotic therapy cost much less than in vitro fertilization, which cost approximately $12,000.
Note: More information can be found in The World’s Greatest Secrets published by Bottom Line Publications.
