Male fertility clinic

While it may seem like the plot of the film "Children of Men," a real-life drama is unfolding that may someday be an actual threat to the furtherance of the human species. Studies show that male sperm counts are on a precipitous decline. In Great Britain alone -- where, ironically enough, the aforementioned film takes place -- sperm counts have dropped by 50 percent in the last decade, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.

The good news is that there are a number of vitamins and minerals that can certainly help prevent such a drop from occurring. Zinc, vitamin C, vitamin B12, selenium, and vitamin E are just a few of them. But, inasmuch as consuming these vitamins and minerals appears to be vital to keeping things copacetic, there are also foods that should be avoided, for they have been found to inhibit sperm production.

Coffee. Men's Health magazine reports that University of Milan researchers discovered that caffeine reduced sperm count by lowering levels of leteinizing hormone and testosterone, both of which are needed for sperm production.




Soy. Studies from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Ireland fingered high soy consumption as causing a negative impact on sperm quality.

Alcohol. 80 percent of alcoholic men are sterile. Right off the bat, that tells you something. According to Men's Health, booze prevents your body from absorbing zinc and vitamin B12, thwarts testosterone production and can cause impotence.