Infertility Tied to Eating Trans Fats
It’s well known that trans fats — commonly found in commercially fried and baked food — can increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. But there’s another unexpected danger to younger women, finds a new Harvard study.
Eating too many trans fats could dramatically increase a woman’s odds of being infertile. In fact, researchers determined that getting only 2% more calories from trans fats than from monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, more than doubled the risk of infertility. And getting 2% more calories from trans fats than from carbohydrates increased a woman’s risk by 73%.
The theory is that trans fats adversely affect ovulatory function.
Everyone can easily avoid trans fats by checking food labels and substituting other types of fats. The fats in non-hydrogenated vegetable oils, such as soybean and canola oils, for example, were not associated with infertility in the study.
This EatSmart column is reprinted from USAWEEKEND Magazine and is copyrighted by Jean Carper. It cannot be reprinted without permission from Jean Carper.
