Too much boob tube could affect men's tubes—or what comes out of them. According to a new study, men who watch a lot of TV have nearly half the sperm count of those who don't watch TV at all.


The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, collected data (aka "jizz") from 189 men ages 18 - 22. Researchers reviewed their diets, physical activity, and the amount of TV they watched, and found that men who had the highest level of physical activity had a 73 percent higher sperm count than those who had the lowest amount of physical activity. Men who watched more than 20 hours of TV a week had a 44 percent lower sperm count than the men who probably couldn't name three Bravolebrities.

Heres the science of it:

[Study author Dr. Jorge Chavarro] said he believes that the reason why men who watch TV more had lower sperm counts is because of their oxidative stress. He explained that a wide variety of chemical reactions that the body goes through generate oxygen. These oxygen levels can damage cells such as sperm cells like spermatozoa, which develop into sperm. "We know from other studies that physical activity is associated with lower oxidative stress and being sedentary is associated with high oxidative stress," he said.


So, basically, a guy who would gladly sit through a marathon of all five seasons of The Wire probably has less of a chance of getting you pregnant. Um, dream date, anyone?

Image via Ana Blazic Pavlovic/Shutterstock

20 hours of television per week may halve men's sperm counts [CBS News]