Health: Avoid These Foods If You Want To Have Kids
In this part of the world, few things can rock a marriage as quickly as either of the partners being declared infertile. Medically, infertility is stated as being unable to get pregnant after a year of unprotected sex. According to experts, both men and women can be infertile and while a third of cases may be linked to female infertility, another third is usually caused by male infertility and the last third by contributing factors from both the man and woman.
As far as female infertility goes, quite a number of factors have been put forth to be causes. They include cervical problems, hormonal flux that affects ovulation, abnormalities in the uterus and damage to the fallopian tubes arising from pelvic infections and surgeries as well as endometriosis. While these are some basic causes, it has also been established that a percentage of infertile cases are undeterminable.
Some situations increase the likelihood of infertility and they include age, stress, athletic training, being overweight or underweight, smoking, excess alcohol consumption, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and health problems that cause hormonal changes. One factor that is usually overlooked is usually one’s diet. As
has repeatedly been said in health and wellness circles, “we are what we eat,” and to a very large extent, our diet determines the quality of life we live.
This is also evident in issues of fertility as several researches have shown that the presence or absence of certain foods can increase or decrease the chances of a couple having a baby.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that guzzling on these foods in large quantities would guarantee a baby, but they play a role in influencing one’s level of fertility.
Low-fat dairy products
Research has shown that women who eat lots of low-fat dairy products, such as skimmed milk, sour cream, low fat yoghurt, face an 85 per cent higher risk of ovulatory infertility than women who consume little or no low-fat dairy products.
The study, “A Prospective Study of Dairy Foods Intake and Anovulatory Infertility” published in the journal, Human Reproduction, found that failure to ovulate, which is a common cause of infertility, was high in women who consumed two or more daily servings of low-fat dairy products. The researchers stated that owing to the fact that studies on the effect of milk on fertility was often inconclusive, they decided to go thorough and the findings were “extremely suprising.”
Soy-based foods
While soy-based food may do a lot of god for menopausal women, studies have shown they have a counter effect for certain men. A Harvard-based study on “Soy Food and Isoflavone Intake in Relation to Semen Quality Parameters Among Men from an Infertility Clinic,” showed that men who eat large quantities of soy-based foods produce 32 per cent less sperm per mililiter than men who consume no soy-based foods. Though the researchers stated that soy-based food in little quantity may not harm healthy men, men with low sperm count may be doing themselves not much good by eating them. The study which used 15 different soy-based foods to test the effects showed that soy foods could tip the oestrogen/testosterone balance in the wrong direction and reduce sperm count further.
Food stored in containers that have bisphenol-A (BPA)
The chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA), has received the rap for numerous health conditions and has been termed both a health and environmental hazard. Mostly found on the inside of many cans and plastics used to package food and beverage, not only does is it an endocrine disruptor having effects on biological processes, there are now pointers as to how they affect sperm count in men. In a study published in the health journal, Reproductive Toxicology, on “Semen Quality and Sperm DNA Damage in Relation to Urinary Bisphenol-A among Men from an Infertility Clinic,” it was discovered that men who were exposed to large quantities of bisphenol-A (BPA) have sperm counts about 23 per cent lower than men with no BPA exposure. There was also a 10 per cent increase in sperm DNA damage among men exposed to large quantities of BPA.
Alcohol
Excessive consumption of alcohol has always been known to have adverse effects on the organs of the body, including the liver, but studies now show that women who consume at least one alcoholic beverage per day have a nearly 50 per cent greater risk of ovulatory infertility than women who drink no alcohol. The journal, Epidemiology, published the study “Caffeinated and Alcoholic Beverage Intake in Relation to Ovulatory Disorder Infertility” and stated that most ovulatory infertility includes hormonal imbalances and the body cannot rid itself of excess hormones when it is busy metabolising alcoholic beverages as alcohol hinders the liver’s ability to metabolise hormones. The study was carried out on 15,555 women attempting to get pregnant for a period of eight years.
Foods containing low antioxidants
Foods rich in antioxidants such as tomatoes, carrots, red grapes, not only help prevent the effects of free radical damage in the body by neutralising the process of oxidation and cellular damage which contributes to ageing and disease, but have now been discovered to affect sperm count and motility (swimming strength). A study published in the journal, Human Reproduction, showed that the sperm of men who consume very low quantities of antioxidants was only two thirds as motile as the sperm of men who consume high quantities of antioxidants.
Foods with high trans-fatty acid content
Trans-fatty acids have been said to be bad for the heart. They are mostly found in junk and fast foods and besides clogging the arteries as well as lowering ‘good’ cholesterol, they also affect sperm. One study entitled: “Trans-Fatty Acid Levels in Sperm are Associated With Sperm Concentration Among Men From an Infertility Clinic” published in Fertility and Sterility showed that men with high concentrations of trans-fatty acids in their semen have 96 per cent fewer sperm than men with low concentrations of trans-fatty acids in their semen. The researchers stated that trans-fatty acids can affect spermatogenesis profoundly.
[Tribune]
