2 PALM WINE AND MALE FERTILITY
Palm wine is known to be a popular alcoholic drink in many African countries. This alcohol beverage is indicated to influence male reproductive function. Palm wine has been reported to decrease testosterone levels but without a significant change in the morphology.
An experiment was conducted to determine the connection between palm wine and fertility with the use of experimental animals, namely, adult rats which were allocated into two groups. The duration of the experiment was 3 weeks. The group A was given a rat chow and water. Group B animals were subjected to an 0ral treatment of palm wine for 21 days. The doses were calculated on the base of the body weight of the animal.
After the experiment was finished, the histological analysis was made. The rats’ tissue samples passed through examination. The results of the experiment on the influence of palm wine on reproduction and fertility showed that there was a significant change in the tissues. When the samples from the two groups were compared, the sort of gradual distortion was observed in the group B. In the control group, there were no changes in the tissue samples.
While the cells normally follow an orderly pattern of arrangement, in the samples of the group B these cells were distorted which caused changes in the tissue structure. These changes may cause a dysfunction of the seminiferous tubules which are the major building blocks of the primary male organs. These results might explain a significant decrease in testosterone level in male rats.
Also, palm wine intake is closely connected with weight gain. The findings of investigation have been quite contradictory. This study didn’t show any clear association between the intake of the palm wine and weight gain.
