India Times: Researchers found those men that ate fruit and vegetables high in concentrations of pesticide had on average a 49 per cent lower sperm count.

Pesticide residues on some fruits and vegetables could be harming men’s fertility, a study has claimed.

Researchers found that men who consumed the most peppers, spinach, strawberries, apples and pears — which tend to contain the highest concentrations of pesticide — had on average a 49% lower sperm count than those who ate the least.

“These findings should not discourage the consumption of fruit and vegetables in general,” he said. “in fact, we found that consuming more fruits and vegetables with low pesticide residues was beneficial. This suggests that implementing strategies specifically targeted at avoiding pesticide residues, such as consuming organically-grown produce or avoiding produce known to have large amounts of residues, may be the way to go.”

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com