The Effect of Caffeine on Testosterone Levels in Men

16.04.2012 | By: Alex F.

Adult men might have lower levels of testosterone if their mothers drank a lot of coffee during pregnancy. Is the effect of caffeine on the foetus harmful?

The effect of caffeine on a man’s level of testosterone is different throughout life. (PhotoXpress)

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A study conducted by Dr. Kim Harley reveals the diverse effects of caffeine on the reproductive ability of men. The research refers to the prenatal period. Caffeine is known for its adverse effect on the placenta in the womb as well as the development of the foetus. The experiments carried out on animals have shown that the effect of caffeine on metabolism is very strong, which is also reflected in the development of the testes. However, these findings don’t confirm whether caffeine itself has a direct negative influence or whether only one of its ingredients is harmful.

Drinking coffee during pregnancy affects male descendants

Recently, an in-depth study was conducted in Denmark analysing mothers who drank a lot of coffee and those who didn’t drink coffee at all or did it moderately (i.e. up to three cups a day). And what were the results? Adult sons of mothers from the first group have a nearly 10% lower level of testosterone than those from the second group. A too large amount of caffeine also caused lower levels of the hormone inhibin B in the body and a smaller space for the production of sperms. In terms of statistics, this connection hasn’t been fully confirmed, but it’s possible that the effect isn’t negligible.

The effect of caffeine on a higher level of testosterone in adults

The findings of researchers have shown that it’s quite the opposite to the above as regards the connection between caffeine and the level of testosterone in adults, that is, “more caffeine, more testosterone”. Therefore, different amounts have different effects on the body throughout life and they aren’t necessarily harmful.

The study included a small number of participants – 343 men, whose mothers drank a lot of coffee and were pregnant between 1984 and 1987. The women themselves reported on the amounts of coffee they drank during pregnancy. The study is the very beginning of discovering the effect of caffeine on the development of the foetus.