Trans Fat Increase Infertility

Dr. Jorge E. Chavarro of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and colleagues found that the infertility risk for a woman who eats trans fat was dose dependent, that is, the more trans fat a woman eats, the higher her risk of becoming infertile. Their findings were published in the January issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Foodconsumer.org says...

In the study, the researchers analyzed data from 18,555 healthy women participating in the Nurses' Health Study to see if there was any association between intake of tarns fat and infertility. The participants were married and trying to get pregnant between 1991 and 1999.

A women's risk of infertility increased by 73 percent for every 2 percent of energy she took from trans fat instead of carbohydrates, the researchers found.

Similarly, the risk of infertility increased by 79 percent for every 2 percent of energy from trans fats instead of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats. The risk more than doubled for every 2 percent of energy from trans fat instead of monounsaturated fat.

Two percent of energy is equivalent to 4 grams of trans fat for a woman who consumes 1800 calories per day. According to the Food and Drug Administration, an average American eats 6 grams of trans fat a day. This means that the effect of trans fat on infertility can be substantial.