Between 15 and 20% of infertility cases are unexplained, but most of them are thought to be due to oxidative stress, which affects 5 to 10% of women under 30 years of age; it ages the ovaries, preventing them from functioning properly and causing them to not produce enough oocytes to achieve pregnancy.
For this reason, a diet rich in antioxidants can help the production of oocytes. It should also be taken into account that the older a patient is, the more limited her ovarian reserve will be, that is, the less fertile she will be (generally, from the age of 35).
Natural antioxidants in fruits and vegetables
The foods that contain the most antioxidants are fruits and vegetables, so they should be the protagonists in a fertility diet. In fact, the first thing recommended to people undergoing fertility treatment is to change their diet, as many of them have abandoned vegetables.
Among them, tomato is the food that contains more antioxidants that favor fertility, since it has a substance called lycopene that, combined with oil, has greater effectiveness against oxidative stress, to the point that even fried tomato is recommended. Carotenoids, the natural dyes found in carrots, citrus fruits, spinach or corn, are also very beneficial substances for fertility.
As for fruits, pomegranate is the richest in antioxidants, although strawberries and other foods such as turmeric or soy extracts also stand out, as well as grape skin, present in red wine, which contains resveratrol, and hops, a component of beer that contains xanthohumol.
Female Fertility Diet
Other tips for a fertility diet include:
- Eat less animal protein and saturated fats.
- Increase omega-3 fatty acids
- Drink plenty of water
- Drink olive oil
- Do not eat too many industrial pastries or ready meals.
- Cook at low temperatures
- Practicing moderate exercise daily
Diet for male fertility
Male fertility can also be affected by oxidative stress caused by environmental and lifestyle factors. Thus, Endocrinologists also recommend men to have a diet rich in antioxidants, as it is proven in mice that this diet protects sperm DNA against oxidative stress, and increases pregnancy rates.