A shocking study claims men who chug too much cola could be damaging their manhood. Scientists revealed that drinking one litre of the fizzy drink a day could reduce sperm count by a massive 30% and lead to erectile dysfunction. Research undertaken at Copenhagen University Hospital found men who classed themselves as being addicted to cola had far less effective swimmers than those who avoided the drink.
The study looked at 2,554 men, and found cola addicts had an average sperm count of 35 million per millilitre, compared to 56 million per millilitre in those who consumed less of the drink. While a sperm count of 35 million still falls within the normal range, it puts men more at risk of eventually becoming infertile. The study found there was no link between caffeine levels in cola and other drinks, therefore indicating the lower sperm count in men was likely due to another ingredient.
Drinking too much cola and certain other fizzy drinks was also found to have links to men suffering from erectile dysfunction, as discovered by scientists at the Nicolaus Copernicus University and the Professor Franciszek Lukaszczyk Memorial Hospital in Bydgoszcz in Poland.
Scientists noted that while getting an erection relied on many factors, both physical and psychological, certain ingredients in fizzy drinks appeared to contribute to problems in getting it up. They claimed a sweetener in the drinks could damage arteries in the penis – possibly preventing blood flowing freely through the muscle.
Scientists concluded that drinking the odd can of coke or other fizzy drinks every now and then would not cause such alarming side effects, but those who drank the fizzy stuff often to cut down on sugar in general.