Sugar Can Be Harmful To Health And Sex Life

We've always known that too much sugar can be bad for our health, but a new study is now telling us it could be harming our sex lives, too. Scientists who observed the effects of sugar on mice found that moderate sugar consumption negatively impacted a female mouse's life span and a male's ability to attract a mate and reproduce, The Washington Post reported.

The female mice that were fed the daily dose of sugar died twice as quickly as the control mice who were not fed sugar. Although the male mice did not die more quickly when fed sugar, they had trouble competing for mates and were also less likely to hold a territory and reproduce.

The sugar in the mice's diets made up 25 percent of their total calorie intake, which is the equivalent of three 12-ounce sodas for a human being. In their daily diets, Americans also consume that percentage of sugar. Since 80 percent of substances toxic in mice are also toxic in animals, these findings may be true for humans as well.

"[Our findings] set a new standard for caution even at low doses of added sugar," says senior author and biologist Wayne K. Potts.