• Posted March 5, 2025

Men With Stronger Sperm May Live Longer, Study Finds

Men with strong, fast-swimming sperm may not only have better fertility but also longer lives, a new study suggests.

Researchers tracked more than 78,000 men over 50 years and found that those with higher sperm motility -- the ability of sperm to swim -- lived nearly three years longer than men with poor sperm movement.

“In absolute terms, men with a total motile count of more than 120 million (per milliliter of semen) lived 2.7 years longer than men with a total motile count of between 0 and 5 million,” lead author Lærke Priskorn, a doctoral candidate at Copenhagen University Hospital -- Rigshospitalet in Denmark, said in a statement.

That translates to a life expectancy of 80.3 years for men with high sperm motility compared to 77.6 years for men with very low motility, according to findings published March 4 in the journal Human Reproduction.

Sperm motility is the ability of sperm to move through the female reproductive tract to reach and fertilize an egg.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers sperm motility normal if at least 42% of sperm in a sample can swim effectively.

A motility count lower than 5 million per milliliter of semen is linked to male infertility, the researchers said.

Dr. Michael Eisenberg, professor of urology and director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine, reviewed the findings.

“The fact that there is an association between semen quality and longevity is an important finding,” he told CNN via email, adding that prior studies have suggested this link between reproductive health and overall health.

Semen quality could also help identify future health problems, especially at younger ages, according to John Aitken, a reproductive health expert and professor emeritus at the University of Newcastle in Australia, who wrote an an editorial published with the study.

“In men, it appears to be their semen profile that is providing the most significant information concerning their future health and wellbeing,” he wrote.

Experts agree that one possible link between sperm quality and life expectancy could be oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress happens when unstable molecules called free radicals build up in the body and cause damage to cells and DNA -- including sperm.

“Any factor (genetic, immunological, metabolic, environmental or lifestyle) that enhances overall levels of oxidative stress, could reasonably be expected to drive changes in the semen profile and subsequent patterns of mortality,” Aitken wrote.

Oxidative stress can be triggered by smoking, heavy alcohol use, pesticides, industrial chemicals and even air pollution, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The body can fight back with antioxidants, found in foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

While antioxidant supplements haven’t been proven to help with oxidative stress, a diet rich in whole foods -- citrus fruit, spinach, peppers, sunflower seeds, almonds, salmon, tuna, carrots, mangos and kale, to name a few --  offers a natural way to support sperm health and overall wellness.

More information

The Mayo Clinic has more on healthy sperm.

SOURCES: CNN, March 4, 2025; Human Reproduction, March 4, 2025