Too Much Alcohol May Harm Sperm, Study Says

Lisa Franchi October 08, 2014

Young men who binge drink are more likely to suffer from low sperm count and quality, according to new research. Furthermore, the risk of sexually transmitted disease increases with more drinking.

While men drinking the most alcohol each week or 40 units or more had the lowest sperm count, an effect was seen even in men drinking as little as five units a week. One unit was defined as a single beer, a glass of wine or about the equivalent of a shot glass of liquor.

Many studies have shown that excessive alcohol intake is bad for general health, but few have shown impacts on reproductive health, except at very high levels," said Dr Michael Eisenberg, an assistant professor of urology at Stanford University School of Medicine who was not involved with the study. "This provides another lifestyle factor that men could be counselled about when trying to conceive."

While the research couldn’t show that alcohol was the cause of sperm changes, it found that higher levels of drinking were associated with fewer and less quality sperm. Researchers said they did try to take other possible causes into account.

"We tried to adjust for other possible factors like diet, smoking, weight, etc., which did not explain the association. But we cannot rule out whether this effect may be due to other factors [not measured] associated with alcohol intake," Jensen said.

The study involved 1,200 Danish men undergoing a required medical examination to determine whether they were fit for military service. Participants were between the ages of 18 and 28. They filled out questionnaires about their drinking, provided a semen sample and had their blood drawn.

Findings revealed that sperm concentration, total sperm count and percentage of normal sperm were all poorer among men having at least five drinks a week, compared to those drinking just one drink weekly. The amount of testosterone measured in the men’s blood, however, increased as their alcohol intake increased. The drop in sperm count and quality became particularly significant among men downing at least 25 drinks a week. Those drinking 40 or more drinks a week had a 33 per cent lower sperm concentration than those consuming one to five drinks a week.

The study was published in the journal BMJ Open.

Source of this article: Too Much Booze May Harm Your Sperm