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Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
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Dietary patterns and fecundability in 2 prospective preconception cohorts
Sydney K Willis1, Elizabeth E Hatch1, Anne Sd Laursen2
1Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|October 3, 2022
Summary
Higher-quality diets, particularly those with lower inflammatory effects, are linked to improved fertility in women trying to conceive. This study examined four dietary patterns in relation to fecundability.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive health
- Nutritional science
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Diet significantly influences human fertility, yet research on dietary patterns' impact is limited.
- Most studies focus on individual nutrients or food groups, not overall dietary quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the association between four distinct dietary patterns and fecundability.
- Investigate the relationship between the alternative Mediterranean Diet (aMed), Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010), Danish Dietary Guidelines (DDGI), and Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and fertility.
Main Methods:
- Two preconception cohorts (SF and PRESTO) with 9232 participants were analyzed.
- Dietary pattern adherence was calculated from validated food frequency questionnaires.
- Proportional probabilities regression models were used to estimate fecundability ratios, adjusting for confounders.
Main Results:
- A higher Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), indicating a less anti-inflammatory diet, was associated with reduced fecundability in both cohorts.
- Greater adherence to the aMed and HEI-2010 was linked to increased fecundability in the PRESTO cohort.
- In the SF cohort, adherence to DDGI was associated with greater fecundability.
Conclusions:
- Higher-quality diets, characterized by lower inflammatory potential, are associated with enhanced fecundability.
- Dietary patterns play a crucial role in reproductive health and fertility outcomes.
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