Success Of IVF Treatment Markedly Improved By Adopting A Mediterranean Diet

• Mediterranean diet appears to raise success rate of IVF by at most 70 per cent

The Mediterranean diet is often touted as one of the healthiest of all diets. Adoption has been attributed to improvements in heart health, gut and mental health. One piece of research is now highlighting how it could improve the chances of women receiving IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatment. The success rate is claimed to be as high as 70% and potentially higher.

A research group at Harokopio University in Athens considers the high level of antioxidants in vegetables and fruits, improves the viability and general quality of women’s eggs. These compounds also help to protect the womb because a damaged womb lining reduces the chances of pregnancy.

The Mediterranean diet is one rich in a range of foodstuffs including not only fruit, legumes and vegetables, but olive oil, nuts, whole grains and fish. This composition offers a rich abundance of nutrients especially vitamins and minerals. Whole grains boost the quality of the embryo although the research papers speculates on reasons why.

A small but limited amount of red meat is permitted. Other pieces of evidence suggest red meat reduces the chances of fertility or pregnancy.

The research group at the Athens based university examined the diets of 244 childless women aged between 22 and 41 who were not obese (i.e. a Body Mass Index less than 30kg/m²) and in general good health. All participants were enrolled at an assisted Conception Unit in Athens and were receiving IVF for the first time.

The participants answered 70 questions in a food frequency questionnaire about their dietary habits. Questions ranged from the types of food eaten to how much each of fish and meat, fruits, vegetables and cereals were eaten. The time period for the questions was all in the six months before trying for a baby. The women were ranked based on responses using a MedDiet Score. The Score ranges from 0 to 55. Higher scores indicate greater adherence to the Mediterranean Diet.

The women were ranked into three groups:- the first group had scores between 18 to 30, the second scored between 31-35 and the third group scored between 36 to 47.

Key findings from statistical analysis:-

• IVF treatment was particularly successful for women under 35 when they adopted a more Mediterranean diet in the 6 months before starting the treatment.
• Half the women in the highest ranked group, who followed the Mediterranean diet most closely, became pregnant.
• The pregnancy rate was less than a third for those in the lowest ranking group (in other words followed the Med. diet, the least.
• The highest scoring group had significantly higher rates of live births – 48.4 per cent compared to 26.6 per cent.
• The analysis cannot be extended to women trying to become pregnant by other means other than IVF.

The general conclusion was that women who followed the Mediterranean Diet the closest had between a 65 to 68 per cent higher chance of having a successful pregnancy by IVF and giving birth compared to those in the lowest ranking group (didn’t follow the diet).

The research is published in a journal called Human Reproduction.

The co-author of the study, Associate Professor Nikos Yiannakouris, stated:

“Women attempting fertility treatment should be encouraged to eat a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, because this may help increase the chances of successful pregnancy.

‘Our results suggest that the beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet could be through increasing embryo survival.’

“Our findings provide support that couples undergoing infertility treatment may benefit by adhering to the Mediterranean diet (a diet widely accepted for its positive effects on human health); however, whether or not advice to adhere more closely to this traditional diet would improve assisted reproduction performance needs to be addressed in future intervention studies. Moreover, our results should be explored and confirmed in other populations within and beyond the Mediterranean region. Clearly more research and intervention studies are needed to elucidate the role of diet quality in assisted reproductive performance, to reveal underlying mechanisms, and for developing nutritional guidelines for women to further improve fertility treatment and success rates.

“As more couples worldwide face infertility problems and seek access to assisted reproduction technologies to conceive, it is essential for them to receive counselling on the importance of dietary influences and of adopting a healthy lifestyle.”

The Mediterranean diet is credited with all sorts of health benefits, from cutting the incidence of womb cancer to helping minimise dementia and brain disorders as well as improving both heart and brain health.

Reference

Dimitrios Karayiannis et al. (2016) Association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and semen quality parameters in male partners of couples attempting fertility. Human Reproduction  DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dew288