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Male fertility is not affected by alcohol or caffeine consumption
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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American experts have come to unexpected conclusions. It turns out that alcohol and coffee do not affect a man's ability to fertilize, and an hour and a half of cycling leads to a 34% decrease in fertility.
A meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the International Federation of Fertility Societies was held in Boston. During this meeting, the results of research in this area were presented.
Research conducted by scientists has shown the impact of alcohol and caffeine on the male body. The experiment involved 166 men who had problems with fertilization. As it turned out, scientists did not find any harmful effects of alcohol or caffeine on sperm quality. French scientists conducted a completely different study in this area. They studied the genetic analysis of sperm from 4.5 thousand men to find out whether caffeine has a harmful effect on sperm DNA. As it turned out, drinking coffee does not lead to severe damage to the DNA of reproductive cells in men.
In addition, experts have studied some types of physical activity that can reduce or, conversely, improve sperm quality, and, accordingly, affect a man's fertility. As reported by Audrey Gaskins, who is the author of the work, physical exercise has a positive effect on sperm quality. The study involved 137 men who were divided into groups. So, in the group where men did physical exercise for an hour a day, there were 48% more sperm, unlike those who devoted less than one hour a week to exercise.
Scientists also found out that some types of physical activity significantly improve sperm quality. Men who exercise outdoors for about two hours a week have 42% more sex cells in their spermograms, compared to those who did not spend time actively outdoors. Scientists attribute this to the effects of ultraviolet radiation, which increases the level of vitamin D in the body, which affects male fertility.
Similar results were found in men who do weightlifting, who work out in the gym for more than two hours and pump up their muscles. During the research, it was found that male weightlifters have 25% more sperm than men who do not lift weights. As O. Gaskins reports, this result is due to the fact that men who do weightlifting have a significantly higher level of the male sex hormone, testosterone, in their bodies. Scientists also managed to discover an interesting fact - cycling for more than two hours leads to a 34% decrease in male fertility. As scientists explain this phenomenon, this occurs as a result of strong pressure on the scrotum and an increase in temperature in the groin area.
A little earlier, scientists studied the properties of food to influence the quality of male reproductive cells, and as it turned out, the consumption of sausages, ham and hamburgers significantly reduces the quality of sperm, which, naturally, affects fertilization.
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