Some sports supplements have been found to contain harmful ingredients, including anabolic steroids, which are detrimental to sperm quality. Until more research offers conclusive evidence, a conservative approach is likely best – and that means getting protein from safe sources and skipping pre-workout mixes.
One of the main things I wanted to ask my fertility doctor was if pre-workout or protien powder had any ties to a low sperm count and he told me the opposite. That in fact caffiene and protien aid in sperm production. I think instead it varies from person to person.
That said, my GP, OB, and Dietitian said there's no reason to cut caffeine (including preworkout) while TTC. They did say to cut pre-workout once pregnant but keeping caffeine was fine up to 200mg.
Semen parameters did not seem affected by caffeine intake, at least caffeine from coffee, tea and cocoa drinks, in most studies. Conversely, other contributions suggested a negative effect of cola-containing beverages and caffeine-containing soft drinks on semen volume, count and concentration.
Yes, a pre-workout can damage testosterone levels if it contains ingredients that can disrupt the production or function of testosterone. Some of these ingredients include prohormones, estrogen blockers, and aromatase inhibitors. If a pre-workout supplement contains any of these ingredients, it is best to avoid it.
A combination of aerobic (increase in heart rate) and resistance (weightlifting) training has been found to increase the production of testosterone. This also helps prevent the most common diseases that men are most likely to die from, heart disease and cancer.
Aging is the most common cause, but other genetic and acquired conditions can also lead to drops in testosterone. These include: obesity. chronic diseases, such as kidney disease, diabetes, lung disease, and cirrhosis.
Sodas and energy drinks
Sugar-sweetened beverages have been found to lead to lower sperm counts and concentrations in men, with men who added one extra 200 mL serving of soda per day having a median 3.4 million sperm/ml less than men who opted for water instead.
Some studies demonstrate that men who stopped taking protein supplements showed an increase in sperm count, although it is normally considered safe to use protein supplements.
A man may ejaculate 40 million to 150 million sperm, which start swimming upstream toward the fallopian tubes on their mission to fertilize an egg. Fast-swimming sperm can reach the egg in a half an hour, while others may take days. The sperm can live up to 48-72 hours.
As mentioned, you should drink your pre-workout 20-30 minutes before training and make sure you don't consume your pre-session energy boost within 4 hours of bedtime, as this could affect your ability to sleep.
Creatine enhances the duration of sperm capacitation: a novel factor for improving in vitro fertilization with small numbers of sperm. Hum. Reprod. 33, 1117–1129 (2018).
Hot tubs and Hot showers and sperm quality
Exposure to wet heat has been associated with decreased semen parameters in men. An example is a 2007 study in which men using hot tubs with a temperature above 98.4 degrees for 30 minutes per week for 3 months were found to have a 22% lower sperm motility.
A large meta-analysis with 29 914 participants found no significant effects of coffee consumption on semen quality [13]. Another study involving 2554 young Danish men also found no association between moderate caffeine (≤800 mg/day) or cola (≤1 L/day) intake and reduction in semen quality [89].
Top tips for planning a pregnancy for men
Quit smoking. Cut down your alcohol intake to no more than 3-4 units a day. Get tested for STIs (anyone who has had unprotected sex, even once, may have an STI). Lose weight if you have a high BMI (Body Mass Index).
On the other hand, some studies showed that cola drinks and soft drinks with caffeine were bad for volume, count, and concentration. When it came to DNA problems in sperm, caffeine seemed to be linked to aneuploidy and DNA breaks but not to other signs of DNA damage.
When a person does not ejaculate, the body naturally reabsorbs the sperm, breaking it down without causing any health problems. This process is normal and does not negatively affect health. However, if a person consistently tries to ejaculate but can't, then this might signal an underlying medical issue.
The authors found that the fluctuations of testosterone levels from the 2nd to 5th day of abstinence were minimal. On the 7th day of abstinence, however, a clear peak of serum testosterone appeared, reaching 145.7% of the baseline ( P < 0.01).
As previously mentioned, studies have shown that for low dose of caffeine exposure, the effects on testosterone levels are positive, and for high caffeine levels inverse associations between caffeine and testosterone were observed.