If you’re undergoing fertility treatments or are currently try to conceive, this might be of interest to you. A new study found that men involved in fertility treatment who ate a lot of processed meats—bacon, sausage and the like—had poorer success, while those who ate more chicken or other poultry had better outcomes.
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The researchers found no connection between men’s total meat consumption and the rate of successful fertilization through IVF, either with or without the use of another technique called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). However, the fertilization rate for both types of IVF was 13 percent higher among men who ate the most poultry, compared with those men who ate the least amount of poultry (78 percent versus 65 percent), the study found.
And the fertilization rate for IVF without ICSI was 28 percent higher among men who ate the least amount of processed meat than among those who ate the most processed meat (82 percent versus 54 percent).
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Processed-meat consumption did not affect success rates in IVF with ICSI, and there was no association between men’s total meat intake and embryo implantation, pregnancy or live birth rates, according to the study.
It’s reasonable to believe that the study found more successful outcomes in the men undergoing fertility treatments who ate chicken over bacon is that chicken-eaters may have an overall healthier diet and lifestyle than bacon-eaters. Healthier dietary choices usually mean a healthier lifestyle, which may overall increase fertility outcomes.
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Curated Article and Photo Credit from CBS News
