Consuming one or more sugary beverages per day may decrease chances of getting pregnant, according to a study published in Epidemiology.
Researchers used the Pregnancy Study Online, an ongoing web-based study, to examine 3,828 women, aged 21 to 45 years and living in the U.S. or Canada, and 1,045 of their male partners. The study participants completed a baseline survey, which included information on their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages. The women completed a follow-up questionnaire every two months for up to one year or until they became pregnant.
Both female and male intake of sugary beverages was linked with 20 percent reduction in fecundability, the average monthly probability of conception. One soda per day lowered the women's fecundability by 25 percent and the men's fecundability by 33 percent.
"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," said study lead author Elizabeth Hatch, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health.