Lifestyle - Beer,coffee & redwine could lower sperm count

Drinking in moderation may not be harmful but downing too much beer, red wine or even coffee could lower your sperm count, a new study has revealed.

Researchers in Britain have carried out the study and found that beer, red wine and caffeinated drinks like coffee contain high levels of oestrogen-like chemicals linked to male fertility.

And what’s shocking is that the study found the drinks when taken with roasted peanuts, can cause more damage as they too contain high levels of phytoestrogens, naturally-occurring plants compounds.

In fact, according to the researchers, a particular type of phytoestrogen, called isoflavones, which mimic the female sex hormone oestrogen, are to blame. In their study, the researchers surveyed dozens of food using a sensitive chemical technique and measured levels of isoflavones and lignans, a second oestrogen-like chemical, but did not speculate on the effects on health or fertility.

Lead researcher Gunter Kuhnle of Medical Research Council in Cambridge said the study clearly showed more food and drinks than previously thought to contain the compounds, The Daily Telegraph reported. “The data we have collected has enabled us to put together an accurate table of which foods contain the highest levels of phytoestrogens, so we can look at the effect of long term exposure, and work out what the safe levels are likely to be for humans,” Kuhnle said.