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)
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.
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.
