Study links stronger, faster-moving sperm to longer lifespan

Men with stronger, faster-moving sperm may live significantly longer than those with poor sperm motility, according to a major long-term study that tracked reproductive health and survival outcomes over five decades.

Researchers followed more than 78,000 men over a 50-year period, linking semen quality measured in clinical settings with later-life mortality data drawn from national health records in Denmark.

The study focused on sperm motility, the ability of sperm to move effectively through the female reproductive tract in order to reach and fertilise an egg. Scientists found a clear association between higher motility and longer life expectancy.

“In absolute terms, men with a total motile count of more than 120 million per millilitre of semen lived 2.7 years longer than men with a total motile count between 0 and 5 million,” said lead author Lærke Priskorn of Copenhagen University Hospital.

Researchers translated the difference into overall lifespan estimates, suggesting that men with very low sperm motility could live to around 77.6 years, compared with about 80.3 years for those with very high motility. The findings were published in the journal Human Reproduction.

Experts not involved in the study say the results reinforce growing evidence that reproductive health may reflect broader physical wellbeing. Stanford University urologist Dr Michael Eisenberg said earlier research had pointed in a similar direction, linking fertility indicators with general health outcomes.

The dataset was drawn from semen samples collected between 1965 and 2015 from men undergoing fertility testing in Copenhagen. These records were then matched with national health data.

Priskorn said the relationship between semen quality and lifespan remained even after accounting for recent illnesses and education levels. “The lower the semen quality, the lower the life expectancy,” she said.

The World Health Organization considers semen normal when around 42 per cent of sperm show proper motility. Severe impairment, defined as fewer than 5 million motile sperm per millilitre, is often associated with infertility.

Researchers caution that sperm quality does not directly determine fertility or lifespan, but may act as an early indicator of broader health conditions.

One theory, outlined by University of Newcastle researcher John Aitken, links the findings to oxidative stress, a process driven by free radicals that damage cells and DNA.

He suggested that environmental and lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, pollution and exposure to industrial chemicals could influence both sperm quality and long term health outcomes.

The body’s natural defence against this damage comes from antioxidants, which neutralise free radicals. Nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and beta carotene are found in foods including citrus fruits, nuts, leafy vegetables, fish and whole grains, with researchers noting that diet may play a role in reducing oxidative stress.

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