F. Agoreyo

Fasting is a deliberate abstinence from normal meal(s) i.e. food and drinks, or failure to eat/drink for an unusual length of time. It is a common practice in Nigeria and other parts of the world by various groups and for various reasons ranging from spiritual, health, to experimental purposes. This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of fasting the sexual performance of male Wistar rats. Eighteen (18) adult wistar rats were randomly selected into a control group (group A) containing six (6) animals and two experimental groups (B and C) each containing six animals (n= 6 per group). Group A received normal rat feed and water, Group B were subjected to fasting for a period of six (6) hours per day for two weeks and Group C were subjected to fasting for a period of twelve (12) hours per day for two weeks. The result of this experiment showed that observable Teratozoospermia in Group B rats and Teratozoospermia with Asthenozoospermia in the Group C rats. Sperm cell count and liveability significantly decreased (p<0.05) in Group C rats. Sperm cell motility across the 3 groups of rats during this experiment showed statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in the progressive motility and of rats in Group A and
Group C. In conclusion, the study showed that subjecting the rats to fasting for 6-Hours per day had little to no consequential effect whereas subjection of the rats to 12-Hours fasting per day greatly affected the sexual performance of the rats with varying clinical presentations.