Study fast food reduces fertility in women

How does special nutrition affect fertility

There are a lot of different factors that can greatly affect women's pregnancy. Researchers now found that diet affects how fast women get pregnant. If women eat fast foods, it will take longer for those affected to become pregnant. However, if women consume a lot of fruit, they will become pregnant faster.

Researchers at the University of Adelaide found in their current research that women's diet has a major impact on the likelihood of pregnancy. Certain foods, such as fast foods, cause women to take longer to get pregnant. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Human Reproduction".

Fast food is very popular in this day and age. Researchers now found that fast food affects women's fertility, making it difficult to conceive. (Image: Alexander Raths / fotolia.com)

Healthy diet increases fertility

The results of the study show that a healthy diet can help make people more fertile. When women consumed fruit less than once a week, it took about two weeks longer on average to get pregnant compared to women who consumed fruit at least three times a day. This shows that healthier foods promote conception, says study author Jessica Grieger of the University of Adelaide. For example, US guidelines recommend consuming two to three servings of fruit per day so that the optimal diet to increase fertility meets normal dietary recommendations.

Pregnant women answered questions about their diet

The physicians examined more than 5,500 women in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom for their study, who had never had a baby at the beginning of the study. When the women were in the 15th week of pregnancy, they were asked about the consumption of certain foods. It was about whether and how often certain foods were consumed. The list was detailed and included, for example, fresh fruit, green leafy vegetables, certain types of fish, burgers, roast chicken, tacos, pizza and chips. The records also contained details of when the pregnancy had started in the affected women.

How did the diet work??

Those who had eaten the most fast food and the least amount of fruit needed two to three weeks longer to get pregnant compared to those who consumed the most fruit and the least fast food, the researchers explain. The results of the study show the protective effect of the consumption of fruits, but there was no association with green leafy vegetables or fish, the doctors add.

There were limitations in the study?

Fruits and vegetables contain a number of antioxidants and phytochemicals that can be beneficial to fertility, scientists say. The study looked only at the effects of green leafy vegetables. Other leafy vegetables have not been studied so that not all of the vegetable intake has been recorded, which limits the predictive value of the effects on fertility.

Why does fast food affect fertility?

Fast food could affect fertility because it has a high content of saturated fat, the research team speculates. The specific components of fast foods and their relationship with fertility have not been studied in humans. Fast food is high in energy and contains high levels of saturated fat, sodium and sugar, explain the scientists. It could be some of these fatty acids that are particularly prevalent in fast foods that affect the oocytes. An egg is rich in saturated fat and it's possible that a woman's diet affects the balance of those fat components, says Grieger.

What other factors affect fertility?

A healthy diet also affects the fertility of men. When men consume a lot of fruits and vegetables, the quality of the sperm improves. Other studies have already shown that smoking and obesity can affect the fertility of men and women. But excessive drinking and physical and emotional stress can also reduce fertility. In addition, age is an important factor in pregnancy. In about one-third of couples in whom the woman is older than 35 years, fertility problems occur. (As)