Does sugar affect sperm count?

High Sugar in Men and Sperm Count

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High Sugar in Men and Sperm Count
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Eating a diet high in sugar might taste yummy to those with a sweet tooth, but its poor nutrition can have a devastating effect on your health. The substance can also cause genetic damage to your sperm and lower your sperm count, making it more difficult to conceive a child.
The Sour Facts on Sugar

Drinking as little as one sugar-sweetened drink per day can cause up to a 20 percent decrease in sperm count, according to a recent Harvard study. The sugar – as well as trans fats – interferes with chemical signaling in the sperm and reproductive organs. In countries where people consume a standard Western diet high in sugar and fat, the average male sperm count has decreased by more than 50 percent since 1973. The average male tested had sperm counts that were at the minimum for being able to fertilize an egg.
Energy Drinks are a Double Whammy

Energy drinks can be high in sugar, with some brands doling out as much as 58 grams – nearly a quarter cup. While sugar can contribute to lowered sperm counts, caffeine can actually damage the DNA in the sperm, making it nonviable to fertilize an egg. Add in herbs like ginkgo biloba, ginseng and guarana – all of which can give you heart palpitations, headaches and fatigue when combined with caffeine and sugar – and you're left not feeling like even trying to conceive.
The Bigger Picture

Sugar is just one aspect of the standard Western diet that contributes to a lower sperm count. Western diets tend to contain significant amounts of red and processed meats, saturated animal fats, refined grains and processed convenience foods. The average Westerner consumes an average of 66 pounds of sugar each year. A review of studies comparing this dietary pattern to a "prudent" diet of whole grains, leafy greens, cruciferous veggies and legumes showed those eating a prudent meal plan suffered from fewer fertility problems than men eating the standard Western plan.
Say So Long, Sugar

Muster the troops with a healthy diet that includes whole organic foods as much as possible. When buying food that comes in a package for on-the-go convenience, read the labels, because sugar lurks in roughly 74 percent of all packaged food. Sugar in food goes by more than 60 names, and not all are obvious. The easiest to identify are products listed as syrups – like corn or agave syrup – or ingredients ending in "-ose" such as glucose, dextrose and saccharose. Less obvious are wholesome-sounding elements like panocha, muscovado and demerara that add sugar content to the product. Products reveal how much sugar content is in the overall product, but labels don't break down how much of it is naturally occurring – such as in yogurt and other milk products – and how much is added sugar.
Get Your Just Desserts

The good news is that you can still indulge your sweet tooth and not negatively impact your sperm count. Choose sperm-friendly options such as dark chocolate, which contains arginine associated with increasing the number and health of sperm and the volume of semen. As a bonus, it's also reputed to increase the intensity of orgasm. Just make sure to get dark – not milk – chocolate, with the lowest sugar content you can enjoy.

Dark-skinned fruits such as raspberries, blackberries, cherries, purple grapes and pomegranates are other good options for building your reproductive health. Just keep in mind that the American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 38 grams – 9 teaspoons – of total sugar per day.