Health Problems
Infertility Research
Diet & Lifestyle
Dietary & Nutritional factors in Infertility
Apart from the importance of diet in our general health and
well-being, research is now confirming that specific nutrients and dietary practices are
very much associated with Infertility.
Most nutritionists now believe that a mother's diet before
conception is just as important, if not more so, than during pregnancy itself. Studies
of women attending fertility clinics have shown that 50% of them had been trying to lose
weight on nutritionally unsound diets. "Malnutrition" says leading Naturopath,
Michael Van Straton "equals failure to conceive. Substandard nutrition can have
catastrophic effects on the body's ability to reproduce." (1)
It is thought that the endocrine system switches off the
reproductive system when the diet is nutritionally deficient. One nutritionist writing in
the British Nutrition Foundation Bulletin wrote that the diet before conception plays an
important influence on her (the mother's) capacity to bear a healthy child. (2)
Michael Van Straten, Naturopath and author of Super Foods states: "The nutritional
state of women - and of their sexual partners - in the three months before conception is
the key to the presence or absence of many birth defects... and reduce the likelyhood of
infertility." He goes on to recommend that refined carbohydrates (eg. white
bread, white rice etc), tea and coffee, alcohol, meat and all fats be avoided.
There is a report of one 27 year old lady who had been
unable to get pregnant for over a year. She was three stone overweight and had infrequent,
heavy periods. After two months of following a meat-free and low fat diet, swimming and
low impact aerobics, she lost her excess weight and had succeeded in conceiving. (3)
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Amino-acids
& Infertility
In trials, after a 60 day treatment of injected doses of an
amino-acid called Glutathione, sperm motility was seen to be improved in all patients. (4)
To obtain the same benefits taken orally, researchers advise taking 500mg of
N-acetyl-cysteine twice daily which the body then converts into glutathione. They
recommend that anyone taking this supplement for any length of time should also take zinc
(20mg) and copper (2mg) every day as well. These supplements are widely available from
health food stores and chemists but please note that there are complications taking
nutritional supplements and it is recommended that you consult a qualified health
practitioner before taking any nutritional supplements.
A study conducted at Surrey University, UK, revealed that
over 80% of couples with a history of miscarriage or infertility could be helped by
changing their diet. All refined foods, alcohol, allergy foods were eliminated and
dieticians paid particular attention to correcting vitamin and mineral deficiencies as
well as reducing toxic metal levels. Over 400 couples participated in the study and, of the
81% who successfully conceived, no babies were born before 36 weeks and none was lighter
than 5lb 3oz! (5)
General dietary and lifestyle recommendations prescribed by
naturopaths for couples unable to conceive may therefore be summarised as follows:
• Stop smoking
• Avoid alcohol
• Avoid caffeine
• Avoid refined carbohydrates
• Avoid animal fats, meats, and fried foods
• Reduce salt intake
• Eat plenty of pulses, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables
• Take light, regular exercise
Remember a nutritional programme suited to your needs can
be prescribed by a qualified naturopath, nutritionist or other health practitioner.
(1) Super Foods (Thorsons)
(2) Jane Morgan - Dept of Nutrition, Southampton University, Brit Nut Foundation Bulletin
30.
(3) Here's Health June 1993 p.38
(4) Here's Health June 1993 p.8
(5) WDDTY Sept 1994)
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Vitamin E
& Infertility
Vitamin E is an important nutrient which should not be
overlooked in cases of male infertility according to recent research undertaken at the
Jessop Hospital for Women, Sheffield. Thirty healthy men (all with high levels of reactive
oxygen species generation in semen and a normal female partner) participated in a
double-blind, randomised placebo cross-over controlled trial. The subjects were randomly
allocated to two groups and over a period of three months, the first group were given
daily vitamin E supplements (600mg/d )and the second group were given a placebo tablet.
Then after a break of one month ‘clean-out’ period, the first group were given a
placebo tablet while the second group were given vitamin E supplements.
The subjects’ sperm were analysed after each period
and measured according to conventional semen analysis, computerised motility assessment,
determination of reactive oxygen species generation, binding to the zona pellucida of the
unfertilised human oocyte, development of hyperactivated motility (both spontaneous and in
the presence of 20% of the natural agonist, human follicular fluid) and pregnancy. The
results revealed that vitamin E caused a notable improvement in zona binding ratio which
improved from 0.2 (range 0 to 0.5) before the treatment to 0.5 (range 0.1 to 1.0) after
the treatment. When the men were taking the placebo tablet, the zone binding ratio rose
only slightly in comparison 0.2 (range 0 to 1.0) before the treatment and 0.3 (range 0.1
to 0.7) after the treatment.
The study concluded that oral administration of vitamin E
significantly improves the in vitro function of human spermatozoa as assessed by the zona
binding test.
Kessopoulou E; Powers HJ; Sharma
KK; Pearson MJ; Russell JM; Cooke ID; Barratt CL. A double-blind randomised placebo cross-over controlled trial
using the antioxidant vitamin E to treat reactive oxygen species associated male
infertility. Jessop Hospital for Women, Sheffield, United Kingdom. Fertility and Sterility
(UNITED STATES) Oct 1995, 64 (4) p825-31
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