Posted on 01/08/2026 8:42:20 PM PST by ConservativeMind
A new discovery reveals that vitamin C may help protect reproductive health from a harmful environmental chemical. Using a fish model, researchers found that exposure to potassium perchlorate, a chemical commonly used in explosives and fireworks, can harm sperm production, potentially reducing fertility.
Led by Ramji Bhandari, the team used Japanese rice fish, called medaka, to investigate how the chemical affects reproductive health. Researchers found that male fish exposed to potassium perchlorate alone experienced a dramatic drop in fertility and clear damage to their testes. But fish exposed to vitamin C and the chemical at the same time showed improved fertility and less damage to their testes.
"Exposure to chemicals in the environment can have a big impact on reproductive health, but our discovery with a fish model offers hope that vitamin C may play a powerful role as an antioxidant in protecting sperm health against the harmful effect of potassium perchlorate," Bhandari said.
Bhandari's work centers on understanding how environmental contaminants impact the health of humans and wildlife, as well as finding mitigation strategies to protect against those threats. His interest in potassium perchlorate began after a conference where he learned that military personnel face higher infertility rates than the general public. Evidence showed some service members had higher levels of potassium perchlorate in their blood due to their repeated close proximity to explosives.
"I became curious about what impact that exposure may have on reproductive health. In our recent study, we discovered potassium perchlorate exposure causes oxidative stress, which interferes with genes and pathways involved in the sperm production process," Bhandari said.
"The good news is we know vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, and we just discovered it can successfully protect the sperm production process against that oxidative stress by restoring molecular pathways involved in male fertility."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
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