We have previously shared research posts on how diet and lifestyle can influence fertility and reproductive health outcomes. Similarly we are now seeing a correlation between the three following measures of dietary quality and risk for infertility:
Glycemic Load
Dietary inflammatory index
Glycemic load is a measure of both the quality and quantity of carbohydrates in a particular food and estimates the increase in blood sugar levels expected if consumed. Glycemic load is an important variable that has been observed to affect insulin sensitivity, which can affect ovulatory function.
Dietary inflammatory index: this metric estimates the inflammatory potential foods can have when consumed. There was a revised version of this metric in 2014 and is currently the more commonly used measure to estimate the impact foods can have on one or more of several markers of inflammation in the body.
Diets that are elevated in the glycemic load and the dietary inflammatory index were correlated with 2x the risk of having infertility.
If you are dealing with infertility, an important detailed review around dietary patterns and recommendations specific to your condition and case should be considered to support chances of conception.