More diet advice evidence needed for those hoping to get pregnant
Experts from the 成人大片 and Monash University say more research is needed on preconception diets after a collaborative review found a lack of evidence about the best foods to help boost the chances of becoming pregnant.
成人大片 Senior Research Fellow Dr Jessica Grieger says while preconception health is important for the health of the baby, there is no official guidance about which dietary approaches may improve fertility.
The Monash University-led study found benefits in the Mediterranean diet, reducing trans fats and consuming less junk food and sugar-sweetened drinks. But there was insufficient evidence to support a specific diet for improving fertility.听听
Published in听, the comprehensive analysis of existing evidence aimed to determine potentially effective dietary patterns and components around pre-pregnancy diet.
The team reviewed 36 studies published from 2007-2022 that included women of reproductive age during the preconception period and evaluated preconception diet and fertility-related outcomes.
The plant-based Mediterranean diet, which includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, white meat and healthy fats from olive oil, had anti-inflammatory properties conducive to fertility and displayed the strongest and most consistent association with improved pregnancy rates.
Reducing trans fats and discretionary food intake were also consistent with broad healthy eating guidelines, had little to no risk, and offered a plausible set of possible pre-pregnancy fertility benefits. Seafood, dairy and soy demonstrated inconsistent findings across the few included studies.
鈥淲e encourage further, high quality dietary studies to build the evidence, so that we can better support women and couples, when planning a pregnancy鈥.Dr Jessica Grieger, 成人大片's Robinson Research Institute.
Senior Author Associate Professor Lisa Moran,听who heads the听Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation鈥檚 Healthy Lifestyle Research Program,听said the preconception diet was supposedly a modifiable risk factor for infertility.
However, there was no official guidance for women about which dietary approaches may help. 鈥淭his scoping review offers the most comprehensive overview of the relationship between type of diet and fertility and the evidence gaps that must be filled prior to adoption into clinical practice,鈥 she said.
鈥淢ost of the dietary advice regarding conception revolves around pregnancy rather than the pre-pregnancy or the pre-conception period, except for guidance on folic acid and iodine supplementation.
鈥淒espite the increasingly accepted notion that improving nutritional intake improves fertility outcomes, there remains a lack of dietary advice for women in the preconception period in Australia and worldwide.
鈥淲e require evidence-based and tailored recommendations for women in the preconception period if we hope to improve fertility outcomes for the widest range of women.鈥
The same team has already published a听looking at the data from this review on the types of diets in more detail. This also underlined the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.
Dr Grieger, who is also a senior author on this study and leads the Nutrition, Metabolic and Reproductive health group within the Robinson Research Institute, said more research was needed.
鈥淲e know that nutrition is important for reproductive听health and the success of a healthy pregnancy,鈥 Dr Grieger said. 鈥淲e encourage further, high quality dietary studies to build the evidence, so that we can better support women and couples, when planning a pregnancy鈥.
First author and Monash University PhD candidate Simon Alesi said a father鈥檚 diet was also important. 鈥淲hile approximately 50 per cent of infertility is caused by female factor infertility, 20-30 per cent is a combination of both female and male factors,鈥 he said.
鈥淭herefore, male fertility is also important and optimising men鈥檚 health will improve the likelihood of a couple conceiving. We are currently conducting a male review that links to this female review, and preliminary findings related to the potential for anti-inflammatory diets such as the Mediterranean diet to improve fertility are similar.鈥
Jessica Stanley, Media Officer, The 成人大片.听Mobile:听+61(0)422 406 351.
Email:听jessica.stanley@adelaide.edu.au
Cheryl Critchley, Communications Manager (medical), Monash University.听Phone: +61(0)418 312 596
Email:听cheryl.critchley@monash.edu