Infertility caused by specific dietary deficiencies may benefit from straightforward addition of missing components to the diet. However, in most cases dietary supplementation with the aim of boosting fertility has failed to produce definitive results. US Nurses’ Health Study has shown increased risk of ovulatory dysfunction associated with many dietary factors, including protein intake, dietary fats, carbohydrates, alcohol, caffeine, and dairy [4]. The type of dietary protein may affect the risk of ovulatory infertility, as women who
LAQ824 consume more vegetable vis-a-vis animal sources of protein demonstrated lower rate of infertility (relative risk 1.39 with high animal protein intake vs. 0.78 for those who consume more vegetable protein) [5]. Further, dietary glycemic index has been positively correlated with ovulatory infertility (risk ratio 1.92 for those with high glycemic load diet); whereas intake of
vitamins has been inversely correlated with ovulatory infertility (relative risk 0.59 for women consuming 6 or more tablets per week) [5] and [6]. The wide array of dietary influences on ovulatory dysfunction suggests a complex balance of nutrition for optimal fertility and confirms the dictum that there is no “one size fits all” dietary intervention to boost fertility.
