Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened or Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Semen Quality in Young Men: A Cross-Sectional Study

Maiken Meldgaard, Nis Brix, Anne Gaml-Sørensen, Andreas Ernst, Cecilia Høst Ramlau-Hansen, Sandra Søgaard Tøttenborg, Karin Sørig Hougaard, Jens Peter Ellekilde Bonde and Gunnar Toft
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Maiken Meldgaard: Unit for Applied Public Health, Department of Public Health, Research, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
Nis Brix: Research Unit for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
Anne Gaml-Sørensen: Research Unit for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
Andreas Ernst: Research Unit for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
Cecilia Høst Ramlau-Hansen: Research Unit for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
Sandra Søgaard Tøttenborg: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, 2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
Karin Sørig Hougaard: Denmark and National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
Jens Peter Ellekilde Bonde: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, 2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
Gunnar Toft: Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: Background: Existing literature suggests that frequent consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks may be associated with lower semen quality. Studies performed in mice suggest a dose-response relationship between intake of saccharin or aspartame, two artificial sweeteners, and sperm and testis function. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on data from The Fetal Programming of Semen Quality (FEPOS) Cohort, including 1047 young men (mean age = 19 years) was performed. Each male participant completed an online questionnaire on health, health behavior and diet, and provided a semen sample. The associations between consumption of sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages (moderate ≥ 3 days/week; infrequent < 3 days/week) and semen quality were analyzed using a multivariable, negative, binomial regression model. Results: Sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverage consumption was not strongly associated with either semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count or total motility in young men. The proportion of morphologically normal sperm was 11% lower (0.89 (95% CI 0.76, 1.04)) for moderate (≥3 days/week) consumption of artificially sweetened beverages relative to infrequent (<3 days/week). Conclusion: Consumption of sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages, at the levels present in this study had limited effect on the measured markers of semen quality in young men.

Keywords: soft drink; semen quality; sperm morphology; non-nutritive sweetener; beverage consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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