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Can/Do Energy Drinks Make You Infertile (Exposed)

Energy drinks have an immoderate dose of caffeine and sugar
Energy drinks have an immoderate dose of caffeine and sugar

Energy drinks have become the morning cup of coffee for many. Energy drinks help you get through the day as they provide a required boost of energy to your body with the help of active ingredients.

Caffeine is the main active ingredient in every energy drink, it stimulates the brain and the central nervous system. It also enhances mental and physical performance which promises you increased productivity.

Moreover, some energy drinks contain a huge amount of caffeine as well as sugar which makes them quite unhealthy. However, some people may enjoy that because both sugar and caffeine are great sources of energy.

While an energy drink may be giving you a boost of energy for a short period of time, it may be developing several long-term side effects.

There’re many side effects of consuming energy drinks, but making you infertile isn’t one of them. A piece of research found that female caffeine consumption doesn’t have any possible effect on fecundability or the probability of achieving a healthy pregnancy.

While fecundability isn’t one of the side effects of consuming energy drinks, there’re several life-threatening effects of energy drinks. Keep reading to find out.

Let’s get started!

Does Caffeine Cause Infertility?

Caffeine doesn't cause infertility
Caffeine doesn’t cause infertility

Contrary to what people believe, caffeine hasn’t been found to be the cause of infertility. It has no effect on fecundability.

Caffeine is one of the active ingredients present in an energy drink, it helps in increasing mental and physical performance which results in increased productivity.

It is considered a great way of getting a boost of energy, which is why energy drinks contain an immoderate amount of it.

Some describe caffeine as the devil in disguise because it gives you energy but at the same time, it’s working its way through your body and developing health complications that you may not notice immediately.

According to the FDA, caffeine should be consumed no more than 400 mg. However, 400 mg can be too much for some people.

Here’s a list of side effects that an immoderate amount of caffeine can cause:

  • Restlessness and shakiness.
  • Insomnia.
  • Headaches.
  • Dizziness.
  • Fast heart rate.
  • Dehydration.
  • Anxiety.
  • Dependency

The listed side effects are only the most common effects, heart attacks, strokes, and even deaths have been caused by immoderate consumption of highly caffeinated energy drinks.

Furthermore, while 400 mg is the normal dose for some people, even 100 mg can be an overwhelming amount for people who have a low tolerance to caffeine

Such people are basically sensitive to caffeine, which means that they can’t tolerate even a small amount of caffeine without experiencing negative effects that include:

  • Heart palpitations.
  • Headache.
  • Anxiety.
  • Restlessness.
  • Insomnia.
  • ‘Jitters’ or ‘shakes’
  • Irritability.
  • Bathroom urgency.

In addition, when people develop a dependency on caffeine, they consume more and more caffeine because when they don’t, they can experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms that are:

  • Headaches.
  • Tiredness.
  • Difficulty concentrating.
  • Nausea.
  • Muscle pain.
  • Irritability.

What Causes Infertility?

Smoking is one of the factors of infertility
Smoking is one of the factors of infertility

Infertility can be defined as trying to achieve pregnancy for a significant period of time. It’s quite difficult to diagnose what causes female infertility. That being said, often couples are able to conceive without treatment.

There’re several factors that play a part in infertility which include:

  • Age: The number of eggs in women starts to decline with age. During the mid-30s, the rate of follicle loss speeds, which results in a reduced number of eggs, leading to difficulty in conceiving and a significant increase in the risk of miscarriage.
  • Smoking: Smoking damages the female cervix as well as the fallopian tube, it also increases the risk of miscarriage. Moreover, smoking also has an effect on ovaries, it ages your ovaries and depletes the eggs prematurely.
  • Weight: Either you’re overweight or underweight, weight can affect ovulation. Thus, getting to a healthier body mass index can possibly increase your frequency of ovulation and probability of pregnancy.
  • Sexual history: Sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhea may damage the fallopian tubes. Unprotected sex with multiple partners may increase the risk of a sexually transmitted infection which can cause fertility problems later.
  • Alcohol: Excessive consumption of alcohol may reduce fertility.

Have a look at this video to find out how energy drinks may hurt you.

Immoderate consumption of energy drinks can send you to the ER

Does Sugar In Energy Drinks Cause Infertility?

Sugar is said to be another source of energy besides caffeine, energy drinks include an excessive amount of sugar, either to mask the bitterness of some ingredients or to add another source of energy.

Sugar should only be consumed in a moderate amount because it has been found to be the cause of several health complications.

Here’s the list of side effects that excessive consumption of sugar can cause:

  • Headaches.
  • Irritability.
  • Fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
  • Feeling jittery or anxious.
  • Feeling shaky or dizzy.
  • Hunger.
  • Bloating.
  • Higher blood pressure.
  • Inflammation.
  • Weight gain.
  • Diabetes.
  • Fatty liver disease.
  • An increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

The researchers noted that their findings agree with two prior pieces of research on semen quality in reproductive-age men which showed sugar-sweetened beverages like energy drinks consumption was inversely linked with progressive sperm motility.

However, if you consume sugar in a moderate amount which is according to the AHA 25 g and 36 g per day for women and men respectively, you may not any infertility issues.

How Many Energy Drinks Are Safe To Drink Every Day?

Red Bull has an excessive amount of sugar
Red Bull has an excessive amount of sugar

There’s a wide range of energy drinks, yet, the ingredients are mostly the same. Energy drinks are usually highly caffeinated and also contain a huge dose of sugar which often exceeds the recommended dose.

Here’s a list of ingredients that energy drinks usually contain:

  • Carbonated Water.
  • Sucrose.
  • Glucose
  • Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Magnesium Carbonate).
  • Taurine.
  • Sugar.
  • Flavors.
  • Colors (Caramel, Riboflavin).
  • Caffeine.
  • Vitamins (Niacinamide, Pantothenic Acid, B6, B12).

These listed ingredients may look harmless, and they just may be. It basically depends on the quantity of those ingredients.

Have a look at the nutritional facts of one of the most consumed energy drinks, Red Bull:

Red Bull Nutritional Contents
Red Bull Nutritional Contents
SubstanceQuantity/Value Per 8.4 oz
Saturated Fat0.000g
Sodium100mg
Potassium7.7 mg
Sugars27.00g
Magnesium1%
Protein1.00g
Calories110
Caffeine80 mg
Nutritional Facts of Red Bull

For an 8.4-ounce Red Bull can, 80 mg of caffeine and 27 g of sugar is quite a lot. If Red Bull had a fair amount of caffeine and sugar, it could have been a healthy energy drink, regardless, it’s not the case.

Keeping the caffeine and sugar contents in mind, you shouldn’t consume more than 1 can of Red Bull per day. Its caffeine content isn’t as bad as its sugar content, you can see that Red Bull’s sugar content exceeds the recommended dose.

As 8.4-ounce is a small amount it means people do consume more than one can. An immoderate amount can lead to health complications which include:

  • It may increase blood pressure and heart rate.
  • It may increase type 2 diabetes risk.
  • It may damage your teeth.
  • It may negatively affect kidney health.
  • It may increase high-risk behavior.
  • It may lead to caffeine overdose and toxicity.

Alternatives To Energy Drinks

Green tea and herbal tea are great alternatives to energy drinks
Green tea and herbal tea are great alternatives to energy drinks

Energy drinks may not have an effect on fertility, but they have been the cause of several health complications, thus I would advise you to either limit your energy drink consumption or switch to healthier drinks like:

  • Green Tea.
  • Yerba Mate.
  • Herbal Teas.
  • Ginger Root Tea.
  • Fresh Juice.

Not all energy drinks are bad, you can go for the ones that are sugar-free and have a low content of caffeine.

Conclusion

  • Caffeine is one of the main active ingredients present in an energy drink.
  • Caffeine stimulates the brain and the central nervous system, it also enhances mental and physical performance resulting in increased productivity.
  • Energy drinks contain excessive contents of caffeine and sugar which make them unhealthy.
  • Energy drinks give you a boost of energy for only a short period of time, but with that, it’s developing health complications. However, energy drinks haven’t been found to be the cause of infertility in women.
  • There’re several factors that may be causing infertility which include: age, smoking, weight, sexual history, and alcohol.
  • While energy drinks may not have an effect on infertility, they do contain sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages intake has been inversely connected with progressive sperm motility.

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