A pint or two of beer is good for male fertility

So you want to be a dad? Men who drink a pint of beer a day double their chances of becoming a father – just don’t follow it up with a cup of coffee say academics.

Researchers presenting at the 70th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine have identified interesting and somewhat surprising effects that alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco use can have on male fertility and sexual function.

And the news is better for beer drinkers than you might think.

Boston researchers analysing data from the Environment and Reproductive Health Study have found interesting connections between male partners’ drinking choices and clinical pregnancy rates after IVF.

High male caffeine consumption appears to reduce couples’ chances of achieving a clinical pregnancy while male alcohol consumption appears to enhance their chances.

Men who underwent IVF at Massachusetts General Hospital between 2007 and 2013 provided information on their pre-treatment diet, including alcohol and caffeine, which was analysed, adjusting for male and female age and BMI, infertility diagnosis, male smoking, male nutrient intake, and female caffeine and alcohol intake.

Couples with male partners whose caffeine intake was in the study’s highest range (more than 265 milligrams a day- or about three  eight ounce cups of coffee) were only half as likely to have a clinical pregnancy as couples where the male consumed less than 88 mgs of caffeine a day.

“For couples whose male partner consumed alcohol, the chances of clinical pregnancy increased with consumption levels,” said American Society for Reproductive Medicine press release.

Meanwhile, a group from the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York found that infertile men who smoke tobacco are more likely to experience sexual or erectile dysfunction, but those who drink alcohol are less likely to report sexual or erectile problems.

Between 2003 and 2011, men being seen at the infertility clinic completed 753 surveys on their drinking and smoking habits and their sexual health and satisfaction. Their average age was 35; 16 per cent of them used tobacco and 73 per cent used alcohol.

Drinkers reported better sexual function than teetotalers. Men who did not consume alcohol were more likely to report deficiencies in their erections and ability to complete intercourse. However, there was no difference in sexual satisfaction reported by drinkers and non-drinkers.

For more information go to http://www.asrm.org/Men_Trying_to_Conceive_Go_Ahead_and_Have_a_Drink_Watch_the_Caffeine_But_No_Smoking_Please/

Tim Hampson’s Tweets can be found @beerhero

His published work includes The Beer Book, World Beer, Haynes Beer Manual, Haynes Whisky Manual, Eyewitness Companion Beer, Great Beers, 101 Beer Days Out, London’s Riverside Pubs, London’s Best Pubs, London’s Best Style Bars, Room at the Inn.

He was also a contributor The Oxford Companion to Beer and 1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die.

He is currently chairman of the British Guild of Beer Writers.