Consuming large amounts of sugar could not only kill your waist line, but also potentially harm male sperm, a study finds.

Previous studies have been done about certain activities and foods that might cause harm to human sperm — such as the yellow dye No. 5 in Mountain Dew. Indeed, it seems that the sugar content in all types of soda might actually be a culprit to baby-wanting men.

According to a recent study conducted at the University of Utah, when mice ate the equivalent of a normal human diet and 25 percent extra sugar, which equals up to three cans of soda daily, male mice were 25 percent less likely to reproduce.

"Our results provide evidence that added sugar consumed at concentrations currently considered safe exerts dramatic adverse impacts on mammalian health," the researchers wrote.

It’s important to point out that, during the study, the mice didn’t become obese or show an increase in blood pressure. But, “they died more often and tended to have fewer babies,” said James Ruff, Ph.D., one of the study's authors.

The American Heart Association recommends that American women consume no more than 100 calories per day (about six teaspoons of sugar), and that men consume no more than 150 calories per day (about nine teaspoons of sugar). On average, one can of soda holds six teaspoons of sugar.

Wayne Potts, another one of the study's authors, says that the effects of soda are adverse to humans if sugar consumption is constant. The rise in obesity in America has become an epidemic over the last 40 years, and increasing sugar consumption has led to a rise in illnesses, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The study began with 156 mice, half of which went on the sugar diet, while the other half served as the control subjects After 32 weeks into the experiment, 35 percent of the female mice that were fed the extra sugar died, while the sugar-fed male mice produced 25 percent fewer offspring than their controlled counterparts. However, the researchers didn’t find any major differences in their metabolic activity.

“The only differences were minor: cholesterol was elevated in sugar-fed mice, and the ability to clear glucose from the blood was impaired in female sugar-fed mice,” the researchers wrote. “The study found no difference between mice on a regular diet and mice with the 25 percent sugar-added diet when it came to obesity, fasting insulin levels, fasting glucose or fasting triglycerides.”

Cutting sugar out of our diets is definitely a smart thing to do, especially in the culture we live in today. But decreasing the amount of refined sugars, specifically, is important. Switching to alternatives, such as fruit sugars and honey, is key in maintaining our overall health and the future health of our offspring.