Men who wear kilts have better quality sperm and are therefore more fertile, Scottish researchers claim.
They say that wearing a kilt traditionally - without underpants - could provide the ideal environment for sperm to thrive.
For testicles to produce adequate levels of sperm, they need to be three degrees Celsius lower than body temperature.
But recent research has shown there has been a global decline in the quality of men’s semen over the past 50 years.
A good airing: According to a Scottish study, wearing a kilt boosts fertility
In addition to this, there has been a remarkable decline in fertility rates across the industrialised world.
Although the reasons for this are many and complex, it is thought that a reduction in sperm quality has played a role.
It is not fully understood why sperm quality is deteriorating but changes in lifestyle and increased pollution have been suggested as possible factors.
But, the new research, published in the Scottish Medical Journal, could provide men with a solution to their poor quality sperm.
It said that since the 80s scientists have linked tight-fitting underwear to impaired male fertility.
This was proven in 1990 when experts were able to show that tight pants increased the temperature deep inside the testicles.
They also found that the tightness had more of an effect than the style of the underwear.
Experts say that tight-fitting pants are partly responsible for declining fertility
On average, wearing tight undergarments increased the temperature of the air surrounding the testicles by 3.5 degrees celcius.
For these reasons air exchange around the testicles should be promoted.
Dr Erwin Kompanje, who wrote the review, said: ‘Kilt wearing likely produces an ideal physiological scrotal environment , which in turn helps maintain normal scrotal temperature, which is known to be beneficial for robust spermotaogenesis (sperm production) and good sperm quality’.
He added that a recent study found that there are even more serious effects of not airing a man's groin.
Not only did it slow production, but it caused the testicles to produce substandard sperm which could not swim to fertilise the egg and produce normal embryos.
The study said: It seems plausible that men should wear skirts and avoid trousers, at least during the period during which they plan to conceive children.’
The Scottish kilt is a male garment that resembles a knee-length skirt. Depictions of men wearing the kilt date back to the 17th century.
Nowadays it tends only to be worn for special occasions.
However, the study said that there are moves to reintroduce the kilt as a casual form of clothing, even outside of Scotland.
The study added that wearing a kilt provides strong psychological benefits too as ‘it will get you noticed no matter where you are’.
It said: 'Research has shown that wearing a kilt gives a man a strong sense of masculinity and freedom. Many women are attracted to men in kilts.'
It added: ‘It also gives a man a sensuous awareness of his body’.
However despite the research pointing to Scottish men being more fertile than most, statistical data has in fact shown that sperm quality is declining in Scotland.
Recent data has also shown that Scotland falls many European countries with the rest of the United Kingdom, Belgium and Scandinavia outperforming them.
According to Eurostat, who complied the data, Iceland is the most fertile county in Europe while Slovakia is the least.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2310977/Men-wear-KILTS-fertile--sperm-kept-cooler.html#ixzz2Qq0ZvFGV
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