Drinking caffeinated drinks can reduce the chances of fathering a child. On the other hand, drinking beer can boost fertility of men, reveals a new study.
A team of researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, suggests that men who drink a lot of coffee reduce their chances of becoming a father via in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and men who drink less coffee are at higher likelihood of fathering a baby via IVF.
The researchers conducted the study on 105 men, whose girlfriends or wives were undertaking IVF treatment to conceive a child. The average age of the men was 37 years and they filled a questionnaire containing a broad range of questions related to diet and intake of alcohol or caffeinated drinks.
None of the men were supposed to be heavy alcohol drinkers and the leading drinker consumed under three units each day. The National Health Service (NHS), the public healthcare system in the UK, recommends that men should not drink over four units of alcohol per day, which equates to about two pints of beer each day.
The study was unable to find a connection between the quantity of alcohol and caffeine consumption and the quality of sperm in men. However, the men who consumed the highest amount of alcohol had 57 percent increased chances of fathering a baby via IVF. Partners of men who drank the least amount of alcohol had 28 percent of conceiving a baby via IVF.
However, the birth rate of people who consumed a lot of coffee reduced a lot when compared to men who had alcohol. The researchers found that birth rates dropped from 52 percent for men who consumed less caffeine to 19 percent for men who consumed the highest amount of caffeine. A cup of filter coffee usually contains about 140 mg of caffeine.
The authors of the study suggest that it is still unclear on why alcohol and caffeine consumption has such an impact on birth rates even when the quality of sperm in the prospective fathers remains unaffected.
Dr. Allan Pacey, from the Sheffield University, explains that drinking in moderation can benefit couples who are trying to conceive a baby clinically or naturally as it assists in the reduction of stress.
"I see no reason to advise couples attempting IVF to become teetotal, but they clearly need to drink alcohol sensibly and be advised that if the female partner falls pregnant she needs to stop at that point to ensure the development of the baby is not harmed," says Dr. Pacey.
