This is one of a series of news items from abstracts of studies presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine as complied by Dr. David Meldrum, Scientific Director of Reproductive Partners. We appreciate the enormous amount of work it takes to compile and comment on these abstracts.
When patients ask about a good diet for infertility they are usually told to eat a well-balanced, healthy diet. It's not bad advice but until recently has been based more on common sense and not scientific evidence. Two reports at the Annual Meeting of ASRM addressed dietary specifics. In one serum fatty acids were analyzed in 52 women before IVF. Good embryo morphology was positively correlated with DHA, one of the two main omega 3 fatty acids in fish and fish oil, and also with DPA, a minor omega 3 in fish and fish oil. Endometrial thickness was negatively correlated with saturated fat levels.
DHA is a main omega 3 in fish and fish oil and is now commonly added to prescription prenatal vitamins. Omega-3’s are important constituents of plasma membranes and increase nitric oxide and therefore blood flow. A healthful diet appears to be beneficial for both infertile men and women. Supplementation with 500-1000 mg of omega 3’s is reasonable for all infertile couples. However, antioxidants should always be increased along with the omega3’s because these unsaturated fats are very sensitive to oxidation. Trader Joe’s has a 600 mg capsule with the odor removed. If these levels are taken the more expensive PNV containing DHA is not needed. Reproductivepartners.com's page on lifestyle and fertility links to Dr. Meldrum site.
In the second study, serum trans fats were negatively correlated with birth rates in women having IVF. Compared with women with levels in the lowest third, women in the middle and upper thirds had birth rates that were 80-90% lower. This study shows the strongest negative effect of a poor diet on fertility published to date. Trans fats may be just a marker for a diet with lower levels of other positive nutrients such as antioxidants and omega 3’s, and because the male partners’ diets would tend also to be poor, this effect could even be a combined effect. It also may be that trans fats, found in fried foods, doughnuts, French pasteries, and various prepared foods containing hydrogenated oils may be the predominating negative factor, being as foreign to the body as eating plastic.
