FERTILITY WRECKERS

As MALE fertility rates decline, we look at the potential causes. This week: Caffeine DRINKING lots of caffeine — in coffee or soft drinks — may raise men’s chances of having abnormalities in the DNA in their sperm, according to a review of studies in the Nutrition Journal.

Caffeine seems to be linked to a genetic problem called aneuploidy, where sperm cells contain an abnormal number of chromosomes.

Analysis of data involving nearly 20,000 men also found that drinking caffeinated soft drinks appears to lower sperm count and semen volume. Allan Pacey, a professor of andrology at Sheffield University, stresses that moderation appears to be the key to avoid caffeine harming your chance of fatherhood. ‘ Overall, research indicates that caffeine is potentially harmful,’ he explains. ‘If you are a coffee or Coke drinker and are suffering fertility problems, it seems common sense to cut down, in case it does help.’