Can of Coke a day reduces chances of becoming pregnant by 20 per cent
Researchers found both male and female consumption of sugary drinks was associated with an average 20 per cent reduced fecundability.
A new study now finds that drinking just one sugar-laden drink a day reduces chances of becoming pregnant by 20 per cent.
Sweetened drinks have already been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, early menstruation and poor semen quality but now new evidence suggests it also affects both men and women's probability of conception.
The research, carried out by Boston University of Public Health, surveyed 3,828 women aged 21 to 45 living in America and Canada to determine the link between sugar-sweetened drinks and infertility. They also surveyed 1, 045 of their male partners.
They found that both the male and female consumption of sugary drinks was associated with an average 20 per cent reduced fecundability - the average monthly probability of becoming pregnant.
Women who drank more than one fizzy drink a day were 25 per cent less likely to become pregnant and men were 33 per cent less likely to be able to get their partner pregnant.
Those who regularly drank energy drinks were even less likely to become pregnant.
Lead author Elizabeth Hatch, a professor of epidemiology at the university, said that they found positive associations between intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and lower fertility, which were consistent after controlling for many other factors, including obesity, caffeine intake, alcohol, smoking, and overall diet quality.