ArticleBMJ open2014
Habitual alcohol consumption associated with reduced semen quality and changes in reproductive hormones; a cross-sectional study among 1221 young Danish men.
Article in BMJ open, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed.
- Dietary patterns and testosterone balance: a review of clinical data and perspectives.Journal of advanced research · 2026Review
- The Impact of Congenital Anomalies of the Male and Female Reproductive Organs on Infertility and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: A Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- Contributions of testosterone to excessive alcohol drinking in males: Potential role for interactions with the HPA axis.Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.) · 2025Review
- Determinants of male fertility in the Western Pacific Region: environmental, biological, and lifestyle influences.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2025Review
- Effects of paternal age and interaction with smoking, alcohol consumption and maternal age on implantation failure in women undergoing ART.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Genetic correlations of alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder with sex hormone levels in females and males.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Fertility-Enhancing Potential ofScientifica · 2025Article
- Temporal Trends in Semen Quality, Hormone Levels, and Substance Use Among Infertile Men in Pre- and Post-Cannabis Legalization Eras in Canada.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2024Article
- Review
- Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Timing of Puberty in Norwegian Boys: Data from the Bergen Growth Study 2.Environmental science & technology · 2024Article
- Behind the Genetics: The Role of Epigenetics in Infertility-Related Testicular Dysfunction.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Implications of lifestyle factors on male reproductive health.JBRA assisted reproduction · 2024Review
- The role of neurosteroids in posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder: A review of 10 years of clinical literature and treatment implications.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2024Review
- Inter- and transgenerational heritability of preconception chronic stress or alcohol exposure: Translational outcomes in brain and behavior.Neurobiology of stress · 2024Article
- Male infertility.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2023Review
- Parental substance use disorder and risk of intellectual disability in offspring in Sweden: a national register study.EClinicalMedicine · 2023Article
- Investigating the association between alcohol intake and male reproductive function: A current meta-analysis.Heliyon · 2023Article
- Male Clinical Parameters (Age, Stature, Weight, Body Mass Index, Smoking History, Alcohol Consumption) Bear Minimal Relationship to the Level of Sperm DNA Fragmentation.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Article
- Unlocking the mystery associated with infertility and prostate cancer: an update.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2023Review
- Associations of sex-related steroid hormones and proteins with alcohol dependence: A United Kingdom Biobank study.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveStudy associations between three measures of alcohol consumption (recent, typical/habitual, binging), semen quality and serum reproductive hormones.
designCross-sectional population based study. SETTING AND
participants1221 young Danish men, aged 18-28 years were recruited when they attended a compulsory medical examination to determine their fitness for military service from 2008 to 2012. Total alcohol consumption: (1) in the week preceding (habitual/typical) the visit (recent alcohol intake), (2) in a typical week and (3) frequency of 'binge drinking' (consuming more than 5 units/day)) in the past 30 days was estimated.
main outcome measuresSemen quality (volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, and percentages of motile and morphologically normal spermatozoa) and serum concentration of reproductive hormones (follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, oestradiol, free testosterone and inhibin B).
resultsSperm concentration, total sperm count and percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology were negatively associated with increasing habitual alcohol intake. This association was observed in men reporting at least 5 units in a typical week but was most pronounced for men with a typical intake of more than 25 units/week. Men with a typical weekly intake above 40 units had a 33% (95% CI 11% to 59%) reduction in sperm concentration compared to men with an intake of 1-5 units/week. A significant increase in serum free testosterone with increasing alcohol consumption the week preceding the visit was found. Binging was not independently associated with semen quality.
conclusionsOur study suggests that even modest habitual alcohol consumption of more than 5 units per week had adverse effects on semen quality although most pronounced associations were seen in men who consumed more than 25 units per week. Alcohol consumption was also linked to changes in testosterone and SHBG levels. Young men should be advised to avoid habitual alcohol intake.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.