Which Milk is Best for Fertility?
Reported February 28, 2007
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Drink whole fat milk and eat ice cream to get pregnant? A new study reveals high-fat dairy products may decrease a woman’s risk of having problems with ovulation.
Harvard researchers also report low fat dairy products may actually increase a woman’s risk of ovulation-related infertility.
Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston analyzed information from 18,555 women who tried to get pregnant between 1991 and 1999. The women reported what they ate in a survey completed every two years during the study. Women who ate two or more servings of low fat dairy foods a day increased their risk of ovulation-related infertility by 85 percent. Women who ate about one high-fat dairy food a day reduced their risk of this kind of infertility.
Study authors write women who want to get pregnant should consider adding high fat dairy to their diets. Current dietary guidelines in the United States recommend at least three servings of low-fat dairy a day, something study authors write could decrease a woman’s chances of getting pregnant.
This is not a license to overindulge in high-calorie dairy treats, warn the authors. Women should still eat the same number of calories and avoid too many saturated fats by adjusting their diet to compensate for full fat milk.
Researchers report a fat-soluble substance found in full fat milk may improve ovary function.
SOURCE: Human Reproduction, 2007;22
