An extensively plant-based Mediterranean diet (or MedDiet) is known to help prevent heart attacks, strokes, and type 2 diabetes and even help with weight loss. Most recently, a literature review has shown that the anti-inflammatory nature of the diet improves fertility as well. The research suggested that modifying the pre-conception diet of both males and females to reduce inflammation can, in turn, boost fertility and improve the success rates of assisted reproductive technology (ART).
The review, conducted by researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Monash University, and the University of South Australia, said that altering pre-conception nourishment is a non-invasive and potentially effective way to enhance fertility outcomes.
Infertility impacts an estimated 48 million couples and 186 million individuals worldwide. This health concern presents a significant psychological, physical, and economic burden for partners attempting to conceive.
Several studies have highlighted the negative effects of inflammation on fertility. It can contribute to erratic menstrual cyclicity, implantation failure, and other adverse reproductive sequelae. It follows that dietary interventions that reduce inflammation could potentially improve fertility outcomes.
The review, published in the Nutrients journal, showed that following anti-inflammatory diets such as the Mediterranean one improves fertility, ART success, and can regulate menstrual cycles, too.
For men, shifting from a Western diet to a MedDiet can enhance sperm quality. The MedDiet is based on foods people traditionally ate in countries around the Mediterranean Sea. The anti-inflammatory diet typically encourages vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, seeds, and heart-healthy fats. Such nutrition patterns are characterised by an increased intake of flavonoids and monounsaturated and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and reduced consumption of red and processed meat.
In comparison, the Western diet, which has excessive saturated fats, animal proteins, and refined carbohydrates, is energy-dense. It lacks vitamins, dietary fibre, and minerals, promoting weight gain and insulin resistance, associated with infertility and poor sperm quality.
Integrating anti-inflammatory dietary patterns as low-risk supplementary fertility treatments may improve fertility and reduce the need for intensive medicinal or surgical interventions.
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