Food Contaminants
high-pesticide-residue produce decreases sperm count
In plain terms: Does eating pesticide-heavy fruit and veg lower your sperm count?
Part of: 🔍 pesticides in food
One study found a striking drop, but nobody independent has ever replicated it, the same team's second population showed nothing, and no man's actual pesticide level was measured. Independent research finds more produce means better sperm quality. Eat the fruit and veg.
📅 Last reviewed: 2026-07-29 ⓘ
Evidence ladder
How far up the ladder this claim has climbed. A high consensus on a low rung means "consistent so far," not "proven in people."
Top evidence so far: Population patterns (Observational)
How the studies fall
What the evidence shows
One well-conducted fertility-clinic cohort found men eating the most high-residue produce had 49% lower total sperm count and 32% lower normal morphology. Three things qualify it heavily. No independent research group has ever replicated the finding. The same group's other population, healthy young men rather than fertility patients, came back null.
The evidence (9)
| Source | Grade | Stance | Quality | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madej D et al 2021 · study_type: observational | observational | mixed | low | DIETARY route, cross-sectional, 90 healthy men aged 18-40 (3-day food record; total fruit/vegetable intake, NOT pesticide-residue-classified) -- INDEPENDENT of the Harvard Chan/EARTH lineage. Highest FV-intake quartile (>734 g/day) had the |
| Wang Z et al 2025 · study_type: observational | observational | mixed | low | MIXED/biomonitored route (plasma pesticide + PAH + metal levels, not a clean dietary high/low-residue classification), reproductive-age men in Jinhua, China -- INDEPENDENT of the Harvard Chan/EARTH lineage. Tea and fruit intake were linked |
| Kazemi M et al 2025 · study_type: observational | observational | mixed | moderate | DIETARY route, male partners in a fertility-clinic prospective cohort (EARTH Study, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Chan -- SAME lineage as the anchor; n=244 men / 437 ART cycles, 2007-2021; USDA Pesticide Data Program surveillance c |
| Liu YS et al 2022 · study_type: observational | observational | mixed | moderate | DIETARY route, hospital-based case-control, China (552 asthenozoospermia cases vs 585 controls, validated FFQ; total/raw vegetable intake, NOT pesticide-residue-classified) -- INDEPENDENT of the Harvard Chan/EARTH lineage. Raw vegetable con |
| Smith-Spangler C et al 2012 · Annals of internal medicine | observational | mixed | low | DIETARY/population-comparison route (organic- vs conventional-food consumers -- NOT the USDA high/low-pesticide-residue FV classification the anchor uses). 2012 systematic review (17 human comparison studies total, only 3 with clinical outc |
| Chiu YH et al 2015 · study_type: observational | observational | supports | moderate | ANCHOR PAPER, FOUND ON RE-SWEEP. DIETARY route, EARTH Study (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health / Massachusetts General Hospital fertility clinic), male partners of subfertile couples (n=155 men, 338 semen samples, 2007-2012; |
| Chiu YH et al 2016 · The Journal of nutrition | observational | mixed | moderate | DIETARY route, a DIFFERENT cohort from the anchor -- Rochester Young Men's Study (n=189 healthy men aged 18-22, unselected by fertility status, Rochester NY, ~2009-2010) -- analyzed with the same Harvard-group USDA Pesticide Data Program cl |
| d10-54844-prm-2026-1231 2026 · Placenta and Reproductive Medicine | observational | supports | low | Narrative review (no new primary data, no independent cohort of its own) states that pesticide residues in conventionally grown produce 'may attenuate the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption via oxidative stress and androgen recepto |
| d10-26258-heal-hua-7802 2026 · Harokopio University | observational | mixed | low | DIETARY route, men from 244 subfertile Greek couples undergoing IVF (Harokopio University undergraduate thesis -- INDEPENDENT of the Harvard Chan/EARTH lineage, but uses a semi-quantitative FFQ on total fruit/vegetable intake, NOT pesticide |
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Educational only, not medical advice. Grades and scores reflect published evidence weighted by study design and quality; see the methodology.