Just one can of Coke a day ‘reduces your chance of becoming pregnant by 20 per cent’

DRINKING just one sugar-laden drink a day reduces your chance of becoming pregnant by 20 per cent, new research suggests.

Cans of pop 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.

Experts from 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.

Participants were found through the Pregnancy Online Study, an ongoing internet-based study of US couples.

They were asked to answer questions about their lifestyles, medical history and diet, including their consumption of sweetened drinks.

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.

The researchers found little association between fruit juice and diet soft drinks.

Lead author Elizabeth Hatch, a professor of epidemiology at the university, said: "We 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.

"Couples planning a pregnancy might consider limiting their consumption of these beverages, especially because they are also related to other adverse health effects."

Previous studies have found that diet soft drinks may reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant while undergoing IVF.

It found those who drank low-calorie pop or put sweeteners in their hot drinks were more likely to produce poorer quality eggs and embryos.

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