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Do you drink this much alcohol a week? It could be damaging your sperm*

*If you’re a man, obviously.

OTHERWISE HEALTHY MEN could be damaging the quality of their sperm by drinking alcohol, a new study has found.

BMJ Open reports today that a Danish study of 1,221 men found that even moderate alcohol intake can lower sperm quality.

The men were all aged between 18 and 28 and had undergone a medical exam between 2008 and 2012.

As part of their assessment, the military recruits were asked how much alcohol they drank in the week before their medical exam; whether this was typical; and how often they binge drank, defined as more than five units in one sitting, and had been drunk in the preceding month.

They were also asked to provide a sperm sample and a blood sample. On average, the men had drank 11 units of alcohol, around four pints of beer.

The analysis showed that after taking account of various influential factors, there was no strong link between sperm quality and either recent alcohol consumption or binge drinking in the preceding month.

But drinking alcohol in the preceding week was linked to changes in reproductive hormone levels, with the effects increasingly more noticeable the higher the tally of units.

Testosterone levels rose, while sex hormone binding globulin fell; similar associations were also evident for the number of times an individual had been drunk or had binge drunk in the preceding month.

The effects were most apparent among those who drank 25 or more units every week.

And total sperm counts were 33% lower, and the proportion of normal-looking sperm 51% lower, among those knocking back 40 units a week compared with those drinking 1-5.

Habitual drinking was associated with changes in reproductive hormone levels, although not as strongly as recent drinking, while abstinence was also linked to poorer sperm quality.

The researchers say that as an observational study, they can’t make judgements on cause and effect, but say that animal studies suggest a link between alcohol intake and sperm quality.

They say “it remains to be seen whether semen quality is restored if alcohol intake is reduced, but young men should be advised that high habitual alcohol intake may affect not only their general health, but also their reproductive health.”

Read: Another look at how alcohol can be more dangerous than heroin

Read: How much of a bottle of a €9 wine goes on taxes?

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52 Comments
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    Mute Glen
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:19 AM

    I completely debunk this theory as I’m a raging alcoholic with a rake of kids !

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    Mute Art Vandelay
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:21 AM

    That explains a lot …

    143
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    Mute Robespierre
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:29 AM

    Your wife could be as fertile as a bee festooned meadow. The difference comes in when their might be mutual issues or female issues and the sperm needs to be healthier.

    Lots of offal, green veg, berries and the supplement spirulina. I had a healthy quotient already but my quality and density tripled. Oh and no alcohol. The spirulina made the biggest difference so if you’re making one change take a break from pints and starting popping algae tabs.

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    Mute Mrs Shalakalananaka
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:40 AM

    Yeah me and Mr Shalakalananaka both drink like fish and have 15 kids together lol.

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    Mute Glen
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:48 AM

    If you think about most people 35 and over would have parents that came from big family’s and all dads would take a drink back then. Look they say the same thing about smoking marijuana.

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    Mute Tom Red
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:48 AM

    Who says their your kids Glen????

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    Mute Glen
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:49 AM

    Cause they look nothing like the milk or post men Tom !

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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:50 AM

    The fact you’re alive is damaging to your health. Go enjoy yourself people.

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    Mute Mark Andrew Salmon
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 12:14 PM

    It’s recently been discovered that the single greatest cause of death is life,..and in other news,…

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    Mute Fintan Stack
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 12:29 PM

    Alcohol adds a bit of spice to bedroom activities!

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    Mute fergal ohagan
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:27 AM

    Just about to wake up my 3 kids and I don’t plan anymore so alcohol do your worst!

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    Mute Sat Singh
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:56 AM

    ‘Abstinence is also related to poorer sperm count’
    So why is that not the headline?

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    Mute Jimbo Murphy
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:08 AM

    The bit about abstinence harming sperm was almost a throw away line in the article. I guess its not good to show that “evil” alcohol actually has benefits for the human body.

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    Mute Martin Matthews
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:17 AM

    I’m well aware it’s only breakfast time but jaysus I could down those 4 pints.

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    Mute Inntalitarian
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:21 AM

    seek help

    13
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    Mute Martin Matthews
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:23 AM

    Don’t think I’ll have too much bother getting help to drink a few pints on a Friday.

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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:26 AM

    I’m in

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    Mute Martin Matthews
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:29 AM

    Looks like I better fone work. Todays cancelled.

    23
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    Mute CAPITAINE ADEBAYO
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:30 AM

    *raises hand

    I’ll help too.

    43
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    Mute Martin Matthews
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:41 AM

    It is on. Like donkey kong.

    27
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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:45 AM

    I’m in there like swimwear,

    30
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    Mute CAPITAINE ADEBAYO
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:55 AM

    Wave your hands like, you just…. Dont care?

    26
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    Mute Chief
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 9:04 AM

    Onit like a car bonnet

    24
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    Mute Martin Matthews
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 9:10 AM

    And definitely be on high alert for sean. He’s the comeback king. Everyones ass is grass and he’s the lawnmower. Ah well, that’s me schooled. I’m off now to contemplate my terrible life choices thus far.

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    Mute Martin Matthews
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 9:20 AM

    Why sean its not even legal opening time. That’s just insane. No, I’m going to be just like you, an immense banter-vacuum with a likeness for structured, planned fun. Thank you. You’ve turned my life around.

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    Mute Hakuin Murphy
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 9:25 AM

    Sorry only skimmed the article
    Are you talking about beer or sperm here?….

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    Mute Martin Matthews
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 9:25 AM

    An assumption based on your previous comments. After those it was easy.

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    Mute Chief
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 9:26 AM

    Well that escalated quickly! That’s alcohol for ya

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    Mute Martin Sinnott
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:26 AM

    Military recruits drinking so little ? How accurate were there answered ?

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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:48 AM

    Isn’t that why you us blokes have so many sperm. we can afford to loose a few million along the way

    31
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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 9:10 AM

    5 units is about 2 pints. If that’s binge drinking I’m F@#ked!!!

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    Mute CAPITAINE ADEBAYO
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:31 AM

    Hi, I’m Adebayo Flynn and based on these findings,

    I’m as fertile as my air max.

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    Mute Juan Venegas
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 9:32 AM

    I have already two children and I am not planning on having more, I am going to shut down the factory so I wouldn’t care less, for all I care, beer could save me the €2K I need for my Vasectomy

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    Mute Aidan Ryan
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 10:18 AM

    Yes I believe this because women never get pregnant whilst having sex with a drunk man!

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    Mute HULK SMASH!
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:33 AM

    Alcohol prices increases all round to fix the liver.

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    Mute Very fond of
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 7:47 AM

    Don’t be giving Noonan any ideas !

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    Mute Fran Rooney
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:47 AM

    I think it’s probably on the cards. Always watch out for media drum beats on issues. They start off slow and eventually becomes a crescendo until something is done. Remember the head shops?

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    Mute thenightmancometh
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 1:10 PM

    This explains why the bin liner in my room isn’t pregnant yet.

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    Mute John Hagin Meade
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 10:10 AM

    In the 1950′s and 1960′s most men drank a lot of alcohol but most families had lots of children. One family near us had 13 children. If this article is correct then it would have fixed the Irish problem of the ban on contraception. It clearly didn’t do that.

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    Mute Sternn
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 10:39 AM

    Does this taste damaged to you?

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    Mute Stevie Leslie
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 10:26 AM

    The government be introducing a sperm tax next

    5
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    Mute Paddy Hannigan
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 12:57 PM

    Attaching the meter should be fun.

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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:20 AM

    Glen maybee it happening when you are drunk ,without you

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    Mute Ken Fallon
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 10:56 AM

    I got the snip so now I can drink as much as I want.

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    Mute stephen
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:05 AM

    It’s not the quality but the quantity that counts.

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    Mute ed w
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 11:02 AM

    Yep as long as it’s that much vodka

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    Mute Brendan Palmer
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 9:24 PM

    This is just American Baptist crap. Two 4 oz cans of Bud and you are a raging alcoholic.

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    Mute The_five_lamps
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 8:38 PM

    And here’s me, wasting my money on condoms!

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    Mute Paul Lane
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    Oct 3rd 2014, 1:49 PM

    Apparently having the snip makes a ‘vas deferens’ to your life, I’ll drink to that ;) lol

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