System Biology

Better System. Better Balance.

Better Health.

Systems biology uses algorithms to measure body system balance in a holistic “real-life” forecast. We measure six Systems key to fertility health.

man in black framed eyeglasses and black jacket ^[1]

The fundamental issue for men with Energy PFPs is increasing their energy reserves. We all experience fluctuations in energy levels, but Energy PFP men are generally less energetic than most of their friends and colleagues.

The tiredness may be relatively recent or something they’ve had since childhood. Energy powers muscles, and it’s crucial for sperm development and sexual vigour. Energy levels at the time of sperm production affect their health, especially the DNA they carry.

The constitution we inherited from our parents is the basis for our energy levels. Still, as we age, this basic constitution is affected by our diet, lifestyle and life events, which combine to determine the energy reserves available for fertility.

There are two variations to the Energy PFP, which relate to how and when their energy reserves became low, and we’re calling these “Constitutional” and “Gut”.

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“Constitutional Energy”

Our constitutional health is primarily the genetic packages we inherited from our parents, with the genes on our chromosomes determining much about us. We all have genetic traits that affect our metabolism, blood function and energy levels.

However, genes aren’t 100% stable, and their behaviour (and structure) changes in response to age, diet and the environment:

Genetic robustness determines our health at birth, how quickly we age, and our changing fertility levels.
Genetic variations affect our blood, including how efficiently it carries oxygen and responds to immune threats and clots.
Our genetics aren’t “set” or constant, and different genes are “expressed” throughout our lives; for instance, the genes for puberty aren’t expressed until teens.
Triggers of gene expression include hormones, weight, diet, exercise and chemicals.
Some babies get extra or fewer chromosomes than they should, which causes major genetic problems like Down’s or Turner’s syndrome.
DNA fragmentation is less extreme and routinely occurs in eggs and sperm when bits of DNA are broken off chromosomes. The genes in eggs and sperm are vulnerable on their single rather than a double helix. They must join at fertilisation to make normal cells, with a baby’s health relying on how well they join and repair DNA damage.
The health and age of parents at conception affect DNA fragmentation rates and repair.
Modern living is full of new chemicals, and many are “endocrine-disrupting chemicals” (EDC) that alter hormones, disrupt sperm production and increase miscarriage rates.

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“Gut Energy”

Gut Energy covers most of the other ways we become tired, with weak digestion being the usual cause, although overwork, trauma and stress are other factors. The classic signs of gut Energy are cravings for sweet or stodgy food and energy dips around mealtimes.

Blood sugar levels are central to this, and the release of insulin and glucagon from the pancreas controls them. The pancreas also releases many of the enzymes that digest food. The pancreas is a crucial organ for digestion and blood sugar control, and poor pancreatic function causes hypoglycaemia and Type II diabetes.

Gut Energy isn’t the same as diabetes, but we’ll use diabetes to illustrate the point. Diabetes has become so widespread (and generally well controlled) that we’ve almost forgotten its seriousness. Without medication, some of the symptoms are:

Low Blood Sugar	High Blood Sugar
Tired, lightheaded, dizzy and weak	Extreme tiredness and thirst
Sudden extreme hunger	Sudden extreme hunger
Racing heart rate	Rapid weight loss
Irritable, anxious or confused	Irritable, anxious or confused
Loss of consciousness, seizures	Kidney failure, impotence

In the US, 34.2 million people had diabetes in 2018 (10.4% of the population) ^[4]. Of those, 90% of cases are diet-related (Type II), as Type I is an auto-immune condition. The US spent $327 billion on diabetes care that year, but despite this, 50% of people with diabetes die prematurely. ^[5]

The gut has intricate relationships with:

Obtaining energy from the diet.

Immune balance.
Hormone levels.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) balance.
Inflammation.
Brain health and mood.

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Energy PFP Men and Male Fertility

Energy is crucial for the healthy balance of the immune and nervous systems. Without a reliable energy supply, cells in the testes cannot make healthy sperm with the mitochondria and fuel supply to reach eggs and fertilise them.

Fluctuating or low energy supply creates hormonal imbalances and inflammation that lower male fertility and sexual vitality. Erectile function is much lower for men with diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which involve high insulin levels due to poor gut health and pancreatic function.

Men with Energy PFPs should focus on supporting their digestive and constitutional health to improve sperm DNA integrity and the chances of healthy pregnancies.

Morefertile and Energy PFP Men

The morefertile member package has PFP extensions with personalised advice on:

Diet
Healing the gut
Lifestyle and Exercise
Weight
Coping with stress
Appropriate tests and treatments

They also have the most up to date research for specific conditions and access to cutting-edge functional medicine tests and personalised herbal combinations. The morefertile approach: