Does long-term coffee consumption affect the male reproductive system?« Back to Questions List

Coffee contains caffeine, which has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system of the brain and can dilate blood vessels and promote blood circulation throughout the body. Therefore, coffee consumption has a refreshing and energizing effect on the brain.
With the growing number of coffee drinkers, the effect of coffee on human health and sperm production function has also received widespread attention. Data show that coffee has a greater effect on reproductive function in men than in women.

The chemical nature of caffeine is an inhibitor of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. It is believed that caffeine increases intracellular calcium ion influx and reactive oxygen species production in sperm, activates intracellular adenylate cyclase, and leads to an increase in intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) concentration, thereby increasing sperm motility and promoting sperm capacitation. Simply put, cAMP in sperm cells is closely related to sperm motility, and caffeine can increase the concentration of cAMP in sperm. Therefore, caffeine was once used as an in vitro sperm promoter to optimize sperm processing during artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization treatment. However, it is now believed that coffee intake does not significantly improve parameters such as sperm concentration and viability; on the contrary, long-term caffeine intake may also disrupt the integrity of sperm DNA and increase the incidence of sperm chromosome aneuploidy, leading to reduced male fertility. Compared with men who did not consume coffee, men who consumed coffee for a long time had a significantly longer average time to conception for their wives.

The vegetative nervous system, which regulates the internal functions of the body, is divided into two parts: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system, which have opposite roles and are regulated by each other. When the body is under stress, the sympathetic nervous system plays a major role and therefore the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the daytime activities of the body. Quiet states and nighttime physiological activities are more controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system. Caffeine mainly stimulates the sympathetic nervous system in our body, which may inhibit the action of the parasympathetic nervous system to some extent. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for erectile function in men, and once it is inhibited, erectile function in men may be affected to some extent. Therefore, for men with reproductive needs, especially the relatively low sexual function of the senior male population, it is best to avoid coffee at night to prevent a decrease in libido.

Despite the benefits of strong and aromatic coffee, such as delicious, refreshing and restorative, excessive consumption should be avoided by men with fertility needs. In addition to the adverse effects on fertility, excessive caffeine intake may also increase the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, stroke and other diseases in men. Therefore, men who enjoy coffee should control their daily coffee consumption appropriately; moderate amounts are beneficial, while excessive amounts are harmful.