Trans Fats May Increase Infertility
Trans fats are strongly linked to heart disease. New research suggests they may also increase a woman's risk of infertility.
Jan. 12, 2007 -- Cutting trans fats from the diet may be especially important for women of childbearing age who want to have children.
Eating these unhealthy fats has been strongly linked to an increased risk for heart disease. Now, new research suggests they also increase a woman's risk of infertility.
In their study, nutrition researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that women with ovulation-related fertility problems tended to eat more trans fats than fertile women.
Obtaining just 2% of total calories from trans fats instead of healthier monounsaturated fats was associated with a doubled risk for this type of infertility.
In addition, each 2% increase in trans fat consumption as a replacement for carbohydrates brought a 73% greater risk of ovulation-related infertility, after adjusting for other known and suspected infertility risk factors, according to the study.
Lead author Jorge E. Chavarro, MD, ScD, tells WebMD the findings must be confirmed.
But he says women planning pregnancies should be especially vigilant about replacing trans fats, just in case.
"We do know that trans fats have a very deleterious effect on heart disease and metabolism in general," Chavarro says.
"Avoiding trans fats is a good idea for many reasons, and one of them may be reducing infertility risk," he says.
Trans Fats in the News
Thanks to a greater public awareness of the health risks associated with trans fats, avoiding them may be much easier for Americans in the near future.
KFC, Taco Bell, and Starbucks all recently announced they would eliminate or greatly reduce the amount of trans fats in their products, following the lead of restaurant chains like Wendy's and Chili's.
And last month, New York City banned use of the fats in restaurants. Chicago officials are said to be considering a similar move.
Fewer trans fats now lurk in the processed foods on supermarket shelves, and the U.S. government has started making food manufacturers list them on package labels.
But, Chavarro says, such labeling may still be misleading.
"You still have to read the labels of the foods you buy," he says. "If you see ‘hydrogenated' or ‘partially hydrogenated,' that is a red flag."
Trans fats are liquid oils that are put through a chemical process called hydrogenation to make them more solid and extend shelf life.