Fertility

Women

Harvard researchers studied infertility in more than 18,000 women and found that “Ovulation infertility was 39% more likely in women with the highest intake of animal protein than in those with the lowest.  The reverse was true for women with the highest intake of plant protein, who were substantially less likely to have had ovulatory infertility than women with the lowest plant protein intake.”

– Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven (2005) by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin; page 89

Men

As was reported in June 2009, a new study has shown that men can boost their sperm counts by eating more fresh fruit and vegetables – and reducing the amount of red meat and fatty foods like cream in their diets.  The link between healthy sperm and antioxidants emerged from a four year study into the links between fertility and dietary habits of 61 men.  In this study, we have found that people who consume more fruits and vegetables are ingesting more anti-oxidants and this is the important point.

A growing number of scientific studies shows that the quality and count of sperm has fallen in the last few decades. Spanish men are among the least fertile in Europe.  In northern Europe, around 40 per cent of men have sperm quality below the recommended levels for fertility.