Fast-food, low fruit intake linked to fertility challenges

Mercy Rono, 30, is a junk addict who admits that she no longer has an appetite for other normal foods.

Her diet varies from french fries, roasted chicken, burgers, soft drinks to other delicacies that she purchases from various fast-food joints in Nairobi.

“I am still young, so I can at least enjoy life before I am forced to start eating boring meals like brown ugali and traditional vegetables as I grow much older so as to prevent lifestyle diseases,” she says.

As these outlets increase and expand to major urban centres in Kenya, they expose women like her to reproductive health challenges that they may be unaware of.

Indeed, new research published in the Human Reproduction journal shows that women who consume more fast-food and eat less fruit are less likely to conceive fast.

The seven-year study, which involved 5,598 women was conducted in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Based on the study, infertility — taking more than a year to conceive — among women with the lowest intake of fruits increased from eight per cent to 12 per cent during the study period. These mothers consumed fruits less than three times daily per month.

On the other hand, infertility among those that ate fast foods four or more times a week rose from eight per cent to 16 per cent.

Fast-foods consumed included burgers, pizza, fried chicken and chips that were bought from a takeaway or fast food outlets.

Such diets lead to delayed conception in ‘normal’ women whilst making it much more difficult for women already predisposed to fertility problems — due to factors such as stress, advanced age, excess weight, drug abuse problems, hormonal imbalance, short menstrual cycles, thyroid gland issues and fallopian tube problems — to become pregnant.

“These findings show that eating a good quality diet that includes fruit and minimising fast-food consumption improves fertility and reduces the time it takes to get pregnant,” said Prof Claire Roberts, the lead author of the study from the University of Adelaide in Australia.

“We recommend that women who want to become pregnant should align their dietary intakes towards national dietary recommendations for pregnancy. Our data show that frequent consumption of fast foods delays time to pregnancy,” stated Dr Jessica Grieger, a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Adelaide and first author of the study.

She added that since diet is a modifiable factor, the research findings underscore the importance of considering preconception diet to support timely conception for women planning a pregnancy.

According to Gladys Mugambi, head of the Nutrition and Dietetics unit at the Ministry of Health, diet plays a key role in the health of mothers as well as the unborn child.

Therefore, she says, women should begin thinking of nutrients to take before babies are conceived instead of waiting to do so when they are already expectant.

“You shouldn’t wait until you’re pregnant to embrace healthy eating as it may be too late. Plan to eat right before conceiving,” she says.

This is mainly because most body organs of the unborn child usually begin to develop between three and seven weeks after a mother’s last menstrual cycle.

The formation of the organs may thus commence before the mother is even aware that she is pregnant.

This places babies conceived in an environment without adequate nutrients at a high risk of birth and development challenges.

For instance, inadequate consumption of foods rich in folate or folic acid before conception predisposes unborn babies to defects of the brain and spinal cord hence leading to fatal conditions such as spina bifida and anencephaly.

Foods rich in this nutrient include dark leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, broccoli and avocado.

Iron is equally important for optimal development of children in the womb as its deficiency has been associated with impaired memory function and attention disorders.

Women seeking to have children can undergo blood tests to determine their iron levels before planning to conceive. Examples of foods rich in iron include spinach, legumes, liver and red meat.

Iodine is also another important nutrient to consider pre-pregnancy as it will support the growth of the unborn baby’s brain and nervous system.

It is naturally found in certain foods and vegetables. But the easiest way to incorporate it in diets is through the use of commonly sold iodised salt.

The Ministry of Health also offers iron and folate supplements to women who are unable to get sufficient quantities of both nutrients from their diets.

Ms Mugambi noted that healthy eating is also important pre-pregnancy as it will guard mothers against obesity.

The condition increases the risk of metabolic syndrome and childhood obesity. It also enhances the chances of the baby being born with birth defects which are usually much harder to detect with ultrasounds in obese women.

Aside from children, obesity also causes various complications in expectant women such as diabetes, hypertension, heart problems, stillbirths, miscarriages, sleeping difficulties and natural delivery difficulties.