Drinking Too Much Soda and Sugary Drinks Affects Sperm Motility: Study
Intake of sweetened soda and drinks can lead to infertility problems in men, according to a study.
The health hazards of consuming sugary drinks and snacks include painful dental diseases, obesity and diabetes. A recent study found regular drinking of soda can curb the production of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) a reproductive hormone that affects sperm motility. Experts examined 189 semen samples of men aged between 18 and 22 and also interviewed them to note their health status and food habits, reports Live Science.
The participants reported drinking up to six sugary drinks per day for many years. Energy drinks constituted 40 percent of sweet beverages the subjects reportedly consumed.
It was observed that 25 percent of the participants drank maximum amount of sweet drinks or 2.7 sugary beverages on average daily. All subjects had decreased FSH levels. Their sperm count, structure and ejaculation level remained the same. But, the sperm motility was reduced by 6.3 percent in leaner male participants than obese men with high intake of sugary drinks or those who drank les amount of sweet drinks every day.
Past studies have linked obesity and fat deposits attributed to increased intake of sugary substances to infertility. Too much fat in the abdominal region and testes alters temperature of the scrotum thereby reducing the sperm quality. However, the current experiment shows lean men drinking too many soda beverages more susceptible to infertility problems than their obese counterparts.
Another trial published in journal Nature Communication discovered male rats that were fed too much sugary water had 25 percent lesser number of offsprings. The current results urge people to kick the habit of drinking sugary beverages to ward off diseases and boost reproductive health.
"Fertility could be another reason to look at how many sodas you're drinking, but there are many other health reasons to watch your intake of sugar-sweetened drinks," said Jorge Chavarro, study author and professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard, reports the Live Science.
More information is available online in the journal Human Reproduction.
© MD News Daily.