Testicular Atrophy
<p>Acetylated monoglyceride is used as an emulsifier. It is a multipurpose food additive and can improve the quality of fats and is available as a solvent, lubricant, plasticizer for vinylacetate, etc. Available short-term, long-term and reproduction studies, though inadequate by present day standards, provide collateral evidence for the absence of serious adverse effects. Dietary loads of acetylated monoglycerides in excess of 10% may result in testicular atrophy due to increased requirement for vitamin E and foreign body reaction in adipose tissue due to overloading with saturated fatty acids*.</p>
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<b>Testicular atrophy</b> is a medical condition in which the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male" title="Male" >male</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproductive" title="Reproductive" class="mw-redirect" >reproductive</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ_(anatomy)" title="Organ (anatomy)" >organs</a> (the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testes" title="Testes" class="mw-redirect" >testes</a>, which in humans are located in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrotum" title="Scrotum" >scrotum</a>) diminish in size and may be accompanied by loss of function. This does not refer to temporary changes, such as those brought on by cold.
Some medications can cause testicular atrophy. Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (AAS) can cause testicular atrophy by reducing the amount of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luteinizing_hormone" title="Luteinizing hormone" >luteinizing hormone</a> (LH) produced by the pituitary gland. LH stimulates the testicles to produce testosterone. Testicular atrophy caused by steroid use can be prevented by taking hCG, a drug which mimics the effect of LH. However, hCG will simply address the symptoms. Endogenous levels of anabolic-androgenic steroids will remain the cause, and testicular atrophy will continue until the male body regains homeostasis. It is unclear how long hCG can be administered to a male on anabolic-androgenic steroids before desensitization occurs.</p>