Fat, Carbs and the Science of Conception
It had a silver lining, though, and not just for those selling low-carb advice and products. All the attention made scientists and the rest of us more aware of carbohydrates and their role in a healthy diet. It spurred several solid head-to-head comparisons of low-carb and low-fat diets that have given us a better understanding of how carbohydrates affect weight and weight loss. The new work supports the growing realization that carbohydrate choices have a major impact—for better and for worse—on the risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and digestive health.
New research from the Nurses' Health Study shows that carbohydrate choices also influence fertility. Eating lots of easily digested carbohydrates (fast carbs), such as white bread, potatoes and sugared sodas, increases the odds that you'll find yourself struggling with ovulatory infertility. Choosing slowly digested carbohydrates that are rich in fiber can improve fertility. This lines up nicely with work showing that a diet rich in these slow carbs and fiber before pregnancy helps prevent gestational diabetes, a common and worrisome problem for pregnant women and their babies. What do carbohydrates have to do with ovulation and pregnancy?
More than any other nutrient, carbohydrates determine your blood-sugar and insulin levels. When these rise too high, as they do in millions of individuals with insulin resistance, they disrupt the finely tuned balance of hormones needed for reproduction. The ensuing hormonal changes throw ovulation off-kilter.
Knowing that diet can strongly influence blood sugar and insulin, we wondered if carbohydrate choices could influence fertility in average, relatively healthy women. The answer from the Nurses' Health Study was yes. We started by grouping the study participants from low daily carbohydrate intake to high. One of the first things we noticed was a connection between high carbohydrate intake and healthy lifestyles.
Women in the high-carb group, who got nearly 60 percent of their calories from carbs, ate less fat and animal protein, drank less alcohol and coffee, and consumed more plant protein and fiber than those in the low-carb group, who got 42 percent of calories from carbohydrates. Women in the top group also weighed less, weren't as likely to smoke and were more physically active. This is a good sign that carbohydrates can be just fine for health, especially if you choose good ones.
The total amount of carbohydrate in the diet wasn't connected with ovulatory infertility. Women in the low-carb and high-carb groups were equally likely to have had fertility problems. That wasn't a complete surprise. As we described earlier, different carbohydrate sources can have different effects on blood sugar, insulin and long-term health.
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Member Comments
Posted By: Darwinia @ 04/04/2008 1:30:45 AM
Comment: Sorry the last comment I made should have posted 1/17/08 ish but the system wouldn't let me..... To date: tried the food recommendations and liked the chages I saw overall (it's not much different than a medditeranean style eating plan.) Also went on Progesterone due to my "age" and pretty much got pregnant a month after starting both. Whose to say which helped the most but I am now over 3 months along...yea!
Rockaway apparently didn't read the article at all......and the stuff about body size???? please list a study conducted long term that verifies the underweight/overweight fertility issues. I've seen anectdotal work but nothing truely serious. I know plenty of examples from both sides of the fence who have gotten pregnant easily (under 35yrs old). Lets try to stick to the science being discussed unless people want to provide 1 deg sources.
Best wishes to everyone dealing with ovulatory infertility and looking for answers....
Posted By: Darwinia @ 04/04/2008 1:16:03 AM
Comment: Some more to add.....running is not unhealthy when pregnant or trying to get pregnant. I mentioned it only in that my asthma makes me uncomfortable. Comfort is the key- if your exercise of choice is comfortable while pregnant and you see a Doc regularly, continue to do it. Many of my running friends were fine well into their 7th month.
PCOS is not covered under this article/research. JUST general ovulatory infertility.
This article is from a well respected group of scientists conducting multiple research studies. Please go to http://www.channing.harvard.edu/nhs/publications/2005.shtml to get an idea of some of their other journal published work. You can also find the questionnaires used for their studies on the site. This 'fertility and diet' article first appeared in the November 1, 2007, issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology (a journal.) It's not just someone's opinion and, as the author states, they were trying to provide solid research data to verify or refute the dearth of opinions and unsubstantiated advice out there. It's the first of it's kind to look at fertility and diet over such a long time period.
Fertilityfile.com (while not the blog referred to below) gives lots of info (including an opinion on this article) from the perspective of a reproductive endocrinologist. Check it out if you have time.
Also wanted to clarify my choice of 'Dawinia'- a pointed response to 'evolutionist'- but NOT meant in the false scientific vein of social darwinism. Darwin's paradigm shattering contribution was that life has and will change through time- period.
In response to eandj62204 - 'Chemicals' are a worth while option for some us looking at our clock and considering IVF or other treatments. Please don't judge us. I would take a chemical any day of the week to prevent another miscarriage and save my child.
Posted By: skinnyminny2 @ 03/31/2008 1:41:12 PM
Comment: Being too thin decreases fertility, too. I'm 25 lb underweight with very little body fat and have not had a period in over a year.
It's easy for me to stay like this because it's the fat ones who get ripped on, not us skinnies.