Trans Fats and Fertility
By Heather Bauer, RD, CDN | April 2007 | SUBSCRIBE | VIEW ARCHIVE

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in January of 2007, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that the more trans fats a woman consumes, the more likely she is to be infertile. The researchers conducted a study of 18,555 married, premenopausal women with no history of infertility who either attempted a pregnancy or became pregnant between 1991 and 1999. The diet of the participants was assessed twice during the follow-up period through use of a food-frequency questionnaire. For each 2% increase in the intake of energy from trans fats as opposed to carbohydrates, researchers found there was a 73% greater risk of infertility. The risk rose to 79% for every 2% of energy consumed as trans fats if they replaced omega-6 polyunsaturated fats. And for every 2% of calories from trans fats consumed in place of monounsaturated fats, the risk of infertility more than doubled. For a woman eating an 1800 calorie diet, 2% of energy consumed as trans fats is only 4 grams, which is not that much. To try and totally cut out trans fats, avoid any product that lists hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredient list.