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(HealthDay News) – Fecundity seems to be related to the nutritional components of diet, with high protein intake linked to improved blastocyst development and pregnancy rates, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, held from May 4–8 in New Orleans.
Jeffrey B. Russell, MD, from the Delaware Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Newark, and colleagues examined whether nutritional components of diet, rather than body mass index, impact fertility. One hundred twenty women recorded a three-day dietary log prior to undergoing embryo transfer as part of in vitro fertilization.
The average daily protein intake was >25% for 48 women and <25% for 72 women, with no differences in body mass index between the groups. The researchers found that the group with a >25% daily protein intake had a significant fertility increase vs. those with a <25% daily intake, with blastocyst development observed in 54.3% vs. 38.5% and pregnancy rates in 66.6% vs. 31.9%. The combination of protein intake >25% and carbohydrate intake <40% correlated with an 80% pregnancy rate.
“Protein is essential for good quality embryos and better egg quality, it turns out,” Russell said in a statement.
