Men who drink lots of cola every day could be affecting their semen quality.
To examine the association between semen quality and caffeine intake, researchers identified 2,554 young Danish men. The men delivered a semen sample and answered a questionnaire including information about caffeine intake from various sources, from which total caffeine intake was calculated.
It was found that the men who didn't drink cola had better sperm quality - averaging 50 million sperms per millilitre semen - and tended to have a healthier lifestyle. In contrast, the 93 men who drank more than one litre a day had only 35 million sperms per millilitre. They also ate more fast food, and less fruit and vegetables. When looking at caffeine from other sources, such as coffee and tea, the decrease in semen quality was much less pronounced.
It is not clear if the cola or the unhealthy lifestyle, or both, contributed to the low sperm counts. However, the above findings show a strong association between cola drinking and low sperm counts.
To examine the association between semen quality and caffeine intake, researchers identified 2,554 young Danish men. The men delivered a semen sample and answered a questionnaire including information about caffeine intake from various sources, from which total caffeine intake was calculated.
It was found that the men who didn't drink cola had better sperm quality - averaging 50 million sperms per millilitre semen - and tended to have a healthier lifestyle. In contrast, the 93 men who drank more than one litre a day had only 35 million sperms per millilitre. They also ate more fast food, and less fruit and vegetables. When looking at caffeine from other sources, such as coffee and tea, the decrease in semen quality was much less pronounced.
It is not clear if the cola or the unhealthy lifestyle, or both, contributed to the low sperm counts. However, the above findings show a strong association between cola drinking and low sperm counts.