--- title: "Bad News: Scientists Say Eating Too Many Edibles May Make Your Balls Shrivel Up" description: "Eating edibles may have adverse effects on testicles, a new study suggests. " date: "2022-01-26" modified: "2022-01-26" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/edibles-ball-shrinkage" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" tags: - "cannabis" - "drugs" - "marijuana" - "sexual health" --- # Bad News: Scientists Say Eating Too Many Edibles May Make Your Balls Shrivel Up ![Eating edibles may have adverse effects on testicles, a new study suggests. ]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* Eating edibles may be better for your lungs than smoking — but it could also have adverse effects on your testicles, a new study suggests. In a [first-of-its-kind study](), researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) found that ingestible cannabis may have similar adverse effects to smoking cannabis. The team at OHSU's Primate Research Center gave a number of rhesus macaques THC edibles daily for nine months. Surprisingly, tests showed that the monkeys had both lower testosterone levels and experienced an up to 50 percent decrease in testicular size. "Unfortunately, these effects appeared to worsen as the THC dose was increased, suggesting a possible dose-dependent effect," said Jamie Lo, associate gynecology professor at OHSU and senior author of the study, in [a statement](). ![]() *Credit: Getty Images* The study's authors**,** however, were quick to point out that their results are preliminary and that further research needs to be done to see whether similar effects play out in humans as well. Nevertheless, interest in cannabis' effects on fertility has risen in tandem with its growing popularity as states move to legalize it for medicinal and recreational use. In 2019, for instance, the National Institutes of Health [published a systematic review]() of studies that suggested weed can reduce sperm count as well as libido in both animals and humans — but also noted that more research needs to be done. The interest isn't just academic, either: anecdotal evidence about weed causing erectile dysfunction has led to a number of [SEO-optimized]() and [clickbait-style]() articles [over the years]() about the potential sexual side effects of marijuana. It's far too soon to tell whether eating edibles will make human testicles shrink, but chances are, given the interest, we might just find out soon enough. **READ MORE:** [Chronic exposure to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol impacts testicular volume and male reproductive health in rhesus macaques]() \[*Fertility & Sterility*\] **More weed research:** [*Blaze It! Scientists Finally Discovered What Makes Weed Dank*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()