Table 1.
The effect of several nutritional factors and dietary patterns on female reproductive health.
| Female reproductive health | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrients | Study type/population | Findings | Evidence* |
| Proteins | - Cohort study/Women reporting ovulatory infertility (10) | - Animal proteins increased the risk of ovulatory disorders (10) | + |
| - Animal study/Mice (11) | - Low dietary protein improves fertility rate (11) | ± | |
| - Cross sectional study/Women cohort (12) | - High soy intake decreases likelihood of pregnancy (12) | + | |
| Carbohydrates |
Sugars: - Cohort study/Premenopausal women (13) - Animal study/Lactating cattle (14) |
Sugars: - High sugar intake is associated with infertility and low rate of pregnancy development (13, 14) |
++ |
|
Fibers: - Cohort study/Couples attempting to censive (15) - Cohort study/Women (18–44 years) (16) |
Fibers intake shows contrasting data: - Increased chance of conception (15) - Decreased concentration of reproductive hormones and increased risk of anovulation (16) |
± | |
| Fats |
PUFA: - Animal study/Female mice (17) - Cohort study/Women undergoing (IVF/ICSI) (18) - Cohort study/Women (18–44 years) (19) |
PUFA: - The intake improves oocyte quality and embryo implantation rates (17, 18) - Seafood ω-3 PUFA are associated with increased progesterone concentrations (19) and DHA is associated with decreased risk of anovulation (19) |
++ |
|
Trans-fatty acids: - Cohort study/Premenopausal women (20) - RCTs/Overweight women (21), healthy men (22) |
Trans-fatty acids: - Increased intake is associated with an increased risk of infertility (20) - Increased intake shows a negative impact on ovarian function as result of insulin resistance and increased inflammation (21, 22) |
++ | |
| Vitamins |
Multivitamins: - Cohort study/Premenopausal women (23) |
Multivitamins: - Supplementation inversely correlates with ovulatory dysfunction in women (23) |
+ |
|
Folate: - Cohort study/Premenopausal women (24) |
Folate: - Supplementation is associated with increased luteal progesterone levels and decreased risk of sporadic anovulation in premenopausal women (24) |
++ | |
|
Vitamin D: - Animal study/Rats (25) - RCT/Women with history of pregnancy loss (26) - Cohort study/Healthy women (27) |
Vitamin D: - Deficiency is associated with reduced fertility rates (25) - Contrasting data show no association between vitamin D and female fertility (26, 27) |
± | |
| Minerals |
Iron: - Cohort study/Women with history of infertility (28) |
Iron: - Supplementation is associated with decreased risk of ovulatory infertility (28) |
+ |
|
Zinc: - Animal studies/Rats (29), rhesus monkey (30) - Cohort study/Nulliparous women (31) |
Zinc: - Deficiency results in abnormal menstrual cycles, longer time interval to pregnancy and decreased pregnancy rates (29–31) |
++ | |
|
Selenium: - Cohort study/Nulliparous women (31) |
Selenium: - Low serum concentration is associated with increased risk of subfertility and longer time interval to pregnancy (31) |
+ | |
| Dietary pattern |
MedDiet: - Cohort study/Healthy women (32) - Cross sectional study/Healthy women (33) |
MedDiet: - Decreased risk of ovulatory disorders (66%) and other infertilities (27%) (32) - Improved ovarian morphology and ovarian function (33) |
++ |
|
Western-like diet: - Animal study/Macaques (34) |
Western-like diet: - Low follicle survival rate and androstenedione and estradiol levels (34) |
+ | |
*
+ limited evidence; ++ moderate evidence; ± conflicting evidence.
IVF, in vitro fertilization; ICSI, intracytoplasmic sperm injection; PUFA, Polyunsaturated fatty acids; DHA, Docosahexaenoic acid; RCT, randomized controlled trial.