STUDY: Trying to Get Pregnant? Avoid Fast Food

A new study shows that if you are trying to get pregnant, you might want to avoid the drive through lane, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.

Dr. Matthew Retzloff, a fertility specialist at the Fertility Center of San Antonio, says the study which encompassed four countries, shows that women who eat more fast food are far less likely to be able to conceive.

"Processed foods, fast foods primarily, we know have been related to food allergies and gut inflammation," Dr. Retzloff said.  "Inflammation is also related to fertility, so we have become more and more aware of the negative influences."

The study looked at women in four nations, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and Ireland, and reported that women who eat fast food four times a week or more were less likely to conceive within a year, and more likely to experience infertility.

But Dr. Retzloff said women who ate fresh fruit three times a day increased their chances of becoming pregnant.  Women who ate fruit less than one to three times a month took have a month longer to conceive.

"Higher fruit consumption definitely led to reduced time to conception, and also led to reduced infertility," Dr. Retzloff said.

Dr. Retzloff says fertility physicians have long been aware of the importance of a healthy diet in conception, but this study did much to put numbers on types of food women should eat.

He says the study did not cover the types of food the man who is involved in the conception attempt should eat.

The study also did not fully study the impact of eating leavy vegetables on pregnancy.

Processed food, for the purposes of the study, were identified as fast food only, and does not include pizza and fast food items purchased from supermarkets.

The researchers say they will study veggie consumption, as well as the father's diet, in subsequent studies.

IMAGE; GETTY


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