Page 12 - January_2019

RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE
The Produce-Rich Mediterranean Diet And Its Relationship To Fertility
by mindy hermann
The Mediterranean diet gen- erally is described as a way of eating based on a foun-
dation of fruits and vegetables, along
with whole grains, legumes, nuts and
healthy fats such as olive oil. It also includes moderate amounts of sh, seafood and dairy products and, on occasion, eggs and poultry. Red meat
is limited. The health bene ts of the Mediterranean diet — weight man- agement, heart health, cholesterol re- duction, lower blood pressure — are
so well established that Oldways, a nonpro t food and nutrition education organization with a mission to inspire
healthy eating through cultural food traditions and lifestyles, collaborated
with Harvard to produce a Mediter-
ranean Diet Pyramid as an alternative
to the U.S. government’s version.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 includes a Healthy Med- iterranean-Style Eating Pattern. The
USDA’s Healthy Mediterranean-Style
Eating Pattern suggests a total of 2 1⁄2 cup-equivalents (c-eq) of fruits and 2
1⁄2 c-eq of vegetables each day. Vegetables are broken down into weekly recommendations for dark green (1 1⁄2 c-eq), red and orange (5 1⁄2 c-eq), starchy (5 c-eq) and other (4 c-eq).
Two studies from Greece suggest following a Mediterranean diet may offer an additional health bene t — boosting fertility in women and men.
In a study1 described in the January 2018 journal Human Reproduction, researcher Nikos Yiannakouris of Harokopio University and his colleagues evaluated the diet and lifestyle of 244 non-obese women between the ages of 22 and 41 years who underwent their rst trial of in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The team used a measure called the MedDietScore to determine how closely the women were following a Medi- terranean eating plan prior to IVF. They divided the women into three groups based on high, medium or low MedDietScore. Later, the team looked for associations between MedDietScore and fertility outcomes, including number of
eggs, fertilization rate, implantation, clinical pregnancy and rate of live birth. Women under age 35 and with the highest MedDietScores during the six months before their rst IVF were nearly three times more likely to become pregnant and have a successful pregnancy. Diet had no effect on the number of eggs, fertilization rate or implantation, and did not make a difference among women 35 and older.
Yiannakouris and his research team also studied2 the relationship between the Medi- terranean diet and semen quality among 225 male partners from couples undergoing fertility evaluation. Men in the lowest one-third for MedDietScore were more likely than men with the highest scores to have abnormal sperm concentration, total sperm count and sperm motility.
Few studies to date have looked at the impact of healthy eating in general and the Mediterranean diet in particular on fertility, and these two studies show only an association, not
a direct effect. Also, it’s important to note bene ts were attributed to the overall diet rather than to individual foods such as fruits and vegetables. In a published interview, Yiannakouris offers several possible explanations — the high antioxi- dant content of fruit, vegetables and other Mediterranean diet foods may aid the health of the endome- trium; healthy fats in foods such as olive oil and nuts could boost conception rates; and adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a healthier body weight, which is linked to improved fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
The researchers say their ndings cannot be generalized to all women trying to become pregnant, nor to obese women or women attending other infertility clinics around the world. They point out their ndings show a Mediterranean diet is only linked to improved IVF outcomes, and they cannot show it improves the chances of pregnancy and birth.
Still, the numerous health bene ts of the Mediterranean Diet suggest it’s never too early for women and men to start eating Mediter- ranean style, and particularly before trying to get pregnant. Although diet was not related to pregnancy outcome among women 35 years and older, healthy eating is equally important for its numerous health bene ts as women get older.
1 Dimitrios Karayiannis, Meropi D Kontogi- anni, Christina Mendorou, Minas Mastrominas, Nikos Yiannakouris. Adherence to the Mediterra- nean diet and IVF success rate among non-obese women attempting fertility. Human Reproduction, 2018; DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dey003
2 Dimitrios Karayiannis, Meropi D. Kontogi- anni, Christina Mendorou, Lygeri Douka, Minas Mastrominas, Nikos Yiannakouris. Association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and semen quality parameters in male partners of couples attempting fertility. Human Reproduction, 2016; DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dew288
12 / JANUARY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS