Health and Medicine
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A new study looking at the effects of carbonated beverages on mice has found that feeding them Pepsi and Coca-Cola increased the size of their testicles and boosted their testosterone concentrations.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.However, as the authors note, this goes against previous findings that have found harmful effects of carbonated drink consumption on reproductive health. One survey cited found sperm quality was reduced by 30 percent in men drinking one liter of cola every day, while another study suggested a "negative effect of cola-containing beverages and caffeine-containing soft drinks on semen volume, count and concentration".
Their own preliminary study found that Coca-Cola and Pepsi could decrease ovary mass in mice, but the effect of carbonated drinks on testicle size had not yet been investigated.
The mice were given Pepsi, Coca-Cola, or water (the control group) for 15 days. Pepsi and Coca-Cola were served neat, or as a 50 percent mixture with water. As well as expected weight gain in the mice consuming the sugary drinks, the team found surprising effects in the mice.
"The concentrations of serum testosterone in all mice were enhanced after the Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola treatment," the team wrote in the study, adding that "the outcomes indicated that high doses of Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola could improve testosterone secretion of male mice".
As well as this, the testicle size of the mice served 100 percent Pepsi or 100 percent Coca-Cola increased significantly compared to both the control group and the mice served 50 percent Pepsi.
"The results indicated that higher doses of Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola could enhance the testis longitudinal and transverse diameter, and that they promoted testis growth of mice," the team wrote.
Though they stress that other studies have found an array of negative medical effects of sugary soft drinks – from obesity to cardiovascular disease – and state that further study is needed, the team suggests a positive finding.
"Our findings provided the scientific bases and for fully understanding carbonated beverage effects and their mechanism on development and reproduction functions of humans, but also benefit to prevent prostate dysfunction and cancer." " the team wrote.
The study is published in Acta Endocrinol.
