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A 'fertility diet,' losing weight
boost chances of pregnancy
Infertility
can be prevented through lifestyle changes, researchers claim
Women trying to get pregnant could boost their chances
by adopting a "fertility diet" high in nuts and avocadoes while
cutting down on coffee and alcohol, according to U.S researchers.
Boston-based researchers found the majority of cases
of infertility due to ovulation disorders in otherwise healthy women could be
prevented through diet and lifestyle changes.
"The dietary and lifestyle choices women make as
they try to get pregnant can impact profoundly their fertility," Dr. Jorge
E. Chavarro of Harvard School of Public Health, who worked on the study, told
Reuters Health.
The fertility diet is characterized by higher
consumption of monounsaturated fat, which is found in natural foods like nuts
and avocadoes, and olive oil, rather than trans fats.
Women should also opt for vegetable protein rather
than animal protein, low-glycemic carbohydrates like whole grains, moderate
consumption of high-fat dairy, multivitamins, and iron from plants and
supplements, Chavarro's team reports.
Other changes women can make to their lifestyle
promote fertility include cutting back on coffee and alcohol, increasing
physically activity, and staying away from cigarettes.
The research was based on 8 years of Chavarro and
colleagues tracking the diet and lifestyle patterns of 17,544 women as they
tried to get pregnant or became pregnant. None of them had a history of
infertility.
According to the team, greater adherence to the
fertility diet pattern was associated with a lower risk of infertility due to
ovulation disturbances and, to a lesser extent, of infertility due to other
causes. Women with the highest fertility diet score, compared with those with
the lowest, had a 66-per cent lower risk of infertility due to ovulation
problems and a 27-per cent lower risk of infertility due to other causes,
Chavarro and colleagues report in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The combination of five or more low-risk lifestyle
factors, including weight control, physical activity and diet, was associated
with a 69-per cent lower risk of ovulation-related infertility.
The researchers also found, consistent with earlier
reports, that increased body weight raises the risk of infertility due to
ovulation disorders.
"Women trying to become pregnant could consider
following these lifestyle practices because they are consistent with an overall
healthy lifestyle and may also help them become pregnant," the researchers
said. - 2007 November 1 REUTERS
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