As we at Beer Heaven have been happy to report, beer, in addition to being generally tasty and refreshing, has a surprising number of benefits for men, from losing weight to winning over the ladies.
But fellas, now there’s even more good news… at least, if you’re planning on having children sometime soon. Because as a new study reveals, drinking can make you more virile: men who have roughly a beer a day were found to have a higher sperm count.
A study by the Policlinico hospital in Milan and published by Andrology examined 323 adult men, grouped by how many drinks they consume per week. Taking into consideration other factors that might affect the results, the researchers found that the group of men who had between 4 and 7 drinks per week had a noticeably higher sperm count.
“We found that men who consumed four to seven units per week had higher semen volume and total sperm count than those who drank less or more than that,” Dr. Elena Ricci, who led the research, told The Daily Mail.
“We concluded that moderate alcohol intake appears positively associated to semen quality, in this group of men.”
A higher sperm count is a sign of strong fertility. While it isn’t proven that regular beer drinking causes a higher sperm count, the researchers did find a correlation.
It’s possible that ingredients in the alcoholic drinks—antioxidants from grapes in wine, and a compound in beer hops called Xanthohumol—are having an effect by protecting sperm cells from damage.
However, if you’re a hopeful dad-to-be, it’s probably not a good idea to start chugging cold ones in the hopes of improving your seed.
“The association between alcohol intake and male reproductive function is still controversial and several studies have shown that heavy drinking is linked to detrimental effects,” Dr. Ricci said.
Other experts also advised caution: “It’s OK to have a glass of beer or wine with dinner but if you are trying for a baby a night on the lash should be avoided,” Prof Allan Pacey, from the University of Sheffield, told The Sun.
“I would not use alcohol as a means to try to boost a low sperm count,” added Prof Simon Fishel, from CARE Fertility.
So if you were reading this planning on the wildest fertility treatment ever, sorry to burst your bubble. However, if you’re the kind of guy who likes a few beers a week, rest assured that your swimmers are in top-notch shape.
Share this interesting study with the beer-lovers in your life!
