Report of a Meeting Food, Nutrition, and Fertility: From Soil to Fork

Am J Clin Nutr. 2023 Dec 13:S0002-9165(23)66301-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.12.005. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTFood and nutrition-related factors, including dietary patterns, use of dietary supplements, adiposity, and exposure to food-related environmental contaminants, have the potential to impact semen quality and male and female fertility; obstetric, fetal, and birth outcomes; and the health of future generations, but gaps in evidence remain. On November 9, 2022, Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Food and Nutrition Innovation Institute hosted a one-day meeting to explore the evidence and evidence gaps regarding the relationships between food, nutrition, and fertility. Topics addressed include male fertility, female fertility and gestation, and intergenerational effects. This meeting report summarizes the presentations and deliberations from the meeting. Regarding male fertility, a positive association exists with a healthy dietary pattern, with high quality evidence for semen quality and lower quality evidence for clinical outcomes. Folic acid and zinc supplementation have been found to not impact male fertility. In females, body weight status and other nutrition-related factors are linked to nearly half of all ovulation disorders, a leading cause of female infertility. Females with obesity have worse fertility treatment, pregnancy-related, and birth outcomes. Environmental contaminants found in food, water, or its packaging, inclu...
Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition - Category: Nutrition Authors: Source Type: research