The largest study in the UK to date: Cycling does not cause infertility.
The 2014 Tour de France chose to kick off in the UK this year and has just completed its third stage in London. Meanwhile, scientists from University College London have concluded a medical study related to cycling — that cycling does not cause infertility.
According to a report by The Daily Telegraph, this is the largest study ever conducted on the relationship between human functional disorders such as infertility and cycling. The study found no connection between the two, even for men who cycle more than eight and a half hours per week.
Previous studies suggested that the stress cycling puts on men could impair their fertility, and some Spanish scholars even advised triathletes to freeze their sperm.
Eighty percent of cyclists in the UK are male, and the latest study led by University College London, involving over 5,000 cyclists, has put these concerns to rest. Experts also noted that cycling is an excellent form of healthy exercise, even for older adults.
However, experts also caution that middle-aged men should still monitor their cycling time. For men over 50, cycling for half an hour a day may double the risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, though further research is needed to confirm this.