for, well, boxers.

對於，嗯，拳擊手。

This underwear was loose around the legs,

這款內衣的腿部很寬鬆。

giving boxers the freedom that they needed

給拳擊手以自由，他們需要

to move around the ring.

繞環移動。

Then, about a decade later,

然後，大約十年後。

briefs came into the world,

內褲來到了這個世界上。

offering a sleeker, tighter-fitting option

提供更時尚、更緊身的選擇。

and sparking a now-classic question.

並引發了一個現在的經典問題。

Boxers or briefs?

拳擊手還是內褲？

And as it turns out, there may be a clear winner after all.

而事實證明，也許終究會有一個明顯的贏家。

You heard that right,

你沒聽錯

wearing tight underwear can lower your sperm count.

穿緊身內褲會降低你的精子數量。

Turns out if underwear is too tight,

原來如果內衣太緊。

it pushes the testicles closer to the body,

它把睪丸推近身體。

increasing their temperature in the process,

在這個過程中增加了他們的溫度。

and that's bad news for the sperm inside.

這對裡面的精子來說是個壞消息。

You see, a man's sperm production is at its best

你看，一個男人的精子生產是最好的

when his testicles are cooler

當他的睪丸冷卻時

than his core body temperature.

比他的核心體溫。

Two to 4 degrees Celsius cooler, to be exact.

確切地說，是涼了兩到四攝氏度。

That's why the testes hang down

這就是為什麼睪丸會垂下來的原因

away from the body

離體

for most mammals.

對於大多數哺乳動物來說。

So when you wear tight underwear,

所以當你穿緊身內衣時。

the resulting increase in temperature can damage the sperm

導致的溫度升高會損害精子。

and potentially your fertility as well.

也有可能是你的生育能力。

Scientists have been studying the link

科學家們一直在研究這種聯繫

between body heat and fertility for years.

體溫與生育能力之間，多年來。

Several studies show that men who work under hot conditions,

多項研究表明，在高溫條件下工作的男性。

like bakers and ceramic oven operators,

如麵包師和陶瓷爐操作工。

are more likely to have fertility issues

更有可能出現生育問題

than men who work cooler jobs.

比從事冷門工作的男人。

But ovens, of course,

但烤箱，當然。

are much, much warmer than the human body.

是比人體溫暖很多很多。

So it wasn't until recently

所以直到最近

that researchers discovered that, yes,

研究人員發現，對。

even small increases in temperature

驟然升溫

from wearing tight underwear can cause problems.

因為穿緊身內褲會造成問題。

In 2018, Harvard researchers released

2018年，哈佛大學研究人員發佈了

the largest study on the subject to date.

迄今為止關於該課題的最大研究。

They analyzed 656 men

他們分析了656名男子

seeking treatment at fertility centers

在生育中心尋求治療

and recorded their daily underwear preference,

並記錄了他們的日常內衣喜好。

boxers or nonboxers, like briefs and Jockeys.

平角褲或非平角褲，如內褲和騎師。

Sure enough, men who wore boxers had 33% more mobile sperm.

果然，穿拳擊褲的男人，活動精子多了33%。

You know, the kind that can swim

你知道，那種會游泳的

and successfully fertilize an egg.

併成功使卵子受精。

They also just had more sperm in general,

他們也只是一般的精子比較多。

about 25% more in their collected samples.

在他們收集的樣本中，約有25%以上。

But researchers also found something they weren't expecting.

但研究人員也發現了一些他們意想不到的東西。

Men in the nonboxers group had higher levels

非拳擊手組的男性有更高的水準。

of something called a follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH.

一種叫做卵泡刺激素的東西，或FSH。

FSH is released by the pituitary gland

FSH由腦垂體釋放。

to help boost sperm production in the testes.

以幫助促進睪丸的精子生成。

So researchers think that an increase in FSH levels

所以研究人員認為，FSH水準的提高

could be the body's way of compensating

可能是身體的補償方式。

for low sperm production.

對於精子數量少。

And while both groups of men

雖然這兩組人

still had plenty of sperm needed to conceive a child,

仍有充足的精子需要懷孕的孩子。

researchers found that tight underwear

研究人員發現，緊身內衣

could jeopardize the fertility of men

可能會危及男性的生育能力

who already suffer from low sperm counts.

已經患有精子數量少的人。

Luckily, young, healthy men

幸運的是，年輕、健康的男性

tend to produce sperm continuously.

傾向於不斷產生精子。

So it's possible to reverse damage

所以可以逆轉傷害

caused by wearing tight underwear

穿緊身內衣引起的

simply by switching to a less confining option.

只需換一個不那麼侷限的選項即可。