More and more research continues to emerge supporting the relationship between nutrition and fertility.
“Higher pretreatment adherence to the profertility diet [has been] associated with an increased probability of live birth among women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies.”
-Jorge Chavarro, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
“[…] nutritional factors may influence not only oocyte [egg] maturation, but also quality of embryos and efficiency of implantation.”
— From Nutrition and Female Fertility: An Interdependent Correlation, Silvestris, Lovero, and Palmirotta
“Nutrition can both negatively and positively affect the quality of semen. The diet should include vegetables and fruit, fish and seafood, nuts, seeds, whole-grain and fibre-rich products, poultry, and low-fat dairy products. On the other hand, low consumption of fruit and vegetables and products with an antioxidant potential, a high calorific intake, a diet rich in saturated fatty acids and trans fats, low fish consumption, as well as a high proportion of both red and processed meat have a negative impact on the quality of semen, which may contribute to reduced male fertility.
Therefore, a modification of lifestyle, particularly with regard to the diet, seems to be indispensable with regard to male infertility associated with semen quality.”
— From Diet and Nutritional Factors in Male (In)fertility—Underestimated Factors, Skoracka, Eder, Lykowska-Szuber, Dobrowolska, Krela-Kazmierczak
“[…]a growing body of research suggests that improving nutrient intake before you get pregnant has an even greater impact on pregnancy outcomes than solely changing what you eat during pregnancy.”
— From Real Food for Fertility by Lily Nichols, RDN
“Choosing healthy fats, vegetable proteins, and whole grains are all diet strategies that could help boost fertility.”
-Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
“Nutrition is one of the most important factors for improving fertility and normalizing the menstrual cycle. Thousands of research studies and our combined decades in practice have shown this to be true many times over. A slew of micronutrients and a balanced intake of macronutrients are required to support optimal ovulatory function and sperm health.”
— From Real Food for Fertility by Lily Nichols, RDN
“Furthermore, creating an optimal preconception environment from a nutritional standpoint may facilitate epigenetic signaling, thus improving the health of future generations.”
— From Dietary Approaches to Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health by Kudesia, Alexander, Gulati, Kennard and Tollefsen-Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
“A high-quality prenatal vitamin can serve as an insurance policy of sorts, but there really is no replacement for a nutrient-dense diet of real food.”
— From Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols, RDN