In February 2018 researchers from Brazil published the results of their study to assess the association between sweetened soft drinks or coffee and the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment in 524 women. Information on the daily consumption of sweetened soft drinks or coffee was collected via a food questionnaire. Results showed that consumption of 3 or more regular soft drinks per day was associated with malformation of the egg/ova and diminished embryo quality on days 2 and 3 of culture. In addition, the soft drinks were also seen to slightly affect implantation and pregnancy rates. Consumption of artificially sweetened coffee, on the other hand, did not appear to be associated with embryo quality on days 2 and 3. It was also noted that the consumption of coffee or soft drinks did not appear to be associated with the odds of a live birth. It should be noted that the results of the study were limited by the use of a non-validated food frequency questionnaire, lack of information on quantity of sweeteners consumed, and lack of data on glucose levels in the blood. However, the researchers concluded by saying that until further research has been undertaken to either prove or disprove their findings, patients should be advised about the potential negative effects of sugar and artificial sweeteners before attempting infertility treatment.
Setti AS et al. Is there an association between artificial sweetener consumption and assisted reproduction outcomes? Reprod Biomed Online. 2018 Feb;36(2):145-153