Even Moderate Alcohol Intake May Damage Sperm

According to Guardian, “just five alcoholic drinks a week could reduce sperm quality.”

A study involving Danish military recruits found that moderate drinking was associated with a drop in the quality of semen.

The study involved 1,200 young Danish military recruits and assessed their semen quality, as well as analyzing their alcohol intake in the week preceding, or binge drinking in the past 30 days.

Overall, there was no clear association between semen quality and alcohol intake. However, in analyses restricted to the 45% of men who had a typical week of alcohol intake, there was a dose-response relationship with higher alcohol intakes related to lower sperm quality.

Men who did not drink any alcohol at all also had impaired semen quality. They could have had health issues that influenced their sperm quality and that meant they needed to avoid drinking, although this is pure speculation.

As always, there are limitations. Importantly, as the study assessed alcohol intake and sperm quality, it cannot prove cause and effect  as a rule. Various other factors could also influence the relationship.