- Maneka Sanjay Gandhi

While we all agree that the population of India is now unsupportable, but if you were told that you could not have a baby, you would still feel very sorry. Infertility is an alarming modern epidemic all over the world. 1 out of 6 couples today experience difficulty getting pregnant. What was once seen as a woman’s problem is now known to affect men equally.

The natural approach to treating infertility solves the root causes of infertility; by addressing all body systems, rather than just focusing solely on the reproductive system. Many couples, who can’t become pregnant, suffer from a combination of conditions. These conditions can’t cause infertility on their own but, together, they can substantially reduce a couple’s probability of conceiving.

For example: A gluten intolerance alone cannot cause infertility. However, the resulting inflammation in the gut can minimize nutrient absorption and lead to deficiencies in the nutrients you need for sperm, egg and hormone production and a healthy pregnancy. Exposure to heavy metals, radiation, and toxic chemicals in some foods, drugs and other products can damage DNA. Recent Nutrigenomic (a study of the effects of nutrients on genes) research suggests that what we eat influences our gene structure.

In simple language, like everything else that follows the laws of nature, this has to do with the food you eat.

Here are the results of studies done by scientists on what causes infertility:

Research at the Harvard School of Public Health has found that men who have a lot of dairy food - milk, yoghurt, cheese/paneer - have a lower quality semen that those who do not. The team compared the diets of 189 men aged 19 to 25, none of whom were overweight and all of whom exercised regularly. They examined each man's sperm, its shape, how fast it could travel, and other markers that indicate fertility. They found that men who ate more than three servings of full-fat dairy a day (any one of these: one glass of milk, 1 ounce of cheese, a teaspoon of cream, one scoop of ice cream) had sperm of 25% poorer quality than those who did not.

Researchers believe that estrogen, the female hormone found naturally in cows' milk, is responsible for the men's ability to reproduce. Cow /buffalo estrogens are very high. In the process of trying to get calcium from milk (which, by the way, is not the best way to get it) the milk drinker takes in hormones like prolactin, somastatin, melatonin, oxytocin, growth hormones, lutenizing releasing hormones, thyroid stimulating hormones, estrogens, progesterone, insulin and corticosteroids. Obviously these will disturb their own hormone imbalance. In fact, researchers say that all animal products have a high content of hormones, pesticides which are known endocrine disrupters. They play havoc with hormones and can lead to bad egg formation.

Trans fats, whose sole purpose of adding to food is to extend its shelf life, hidden in junk and fast foods such as doughnuts, biscuits, candy, chocolate, chips, pies, fries and thousands of other foods, increase the risk of infertility by as much as 70%. Scientists from the Harvard University School of Public Health advise women wanting to get pregnant to avoid all trans fats. Read the ingredients: trans fats are listed as ‘hydrogenated fat’ or ‘hardened vegetable fat’ or simply ‘vegetable fat.’ The study “Transfatty Acid Levels in Sperm are associated with Sperm Concentrations Among Men from an Infertility Clinic” found that men with high levels of trans fatty acids in their semen have 96% fewer sperm than men who don’t. The authors were unable to determine the time span that the TFA accumulates in the testes. It could potentially last a lifetime.

According to a Danish study  "Caffeine Intake and Semen Quality in a Population of 2554 Young Danish men"  men who drink at least a quart of cola daily have sperm counts almost 30 % lower than men who drink no cola. The reason could be the high-fructose corn syrup found in these drinks. First, too much sugar can lead to insulin resistance, which disrupts fertility. Second, powerful pesticides —including Atrazine—have been shown in studies to be endocrine disrupters. According to J.E Chavarro, the author of the Harvard University study “A Prospective Study of Dairy Foods Intake and Anovulatory Infertility”, women who eat lots of low fat dairy products face an 85% higher risk of infertility than women who don’t.

Canned foods don’t help. According to John Meeker "Semen Quality and Sperm DNA Damage in relation to Urinary Bisphenol-A Among Men from an Infertility Clinic" men who are exposed to large quantities of bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical used in the linings of canned foods, have sperm counts about 23 percent lower than men with no BPA exposure. The University of Michigan-affiliated study that yielded this statistic also found a 10 % increase in sperm DNA damage among men exposed to large quantities of BPA. BPA is now the subject of investigations by the Food and Drug Administration.

Researchers followed 18,555 women for eight years as they attempted to become pregnant and found women who consume at least one alcoholic beverage per day have a nearly 50% greater risk of infertility than women who drink no alcohol. The failure to produce eggs usually means hormonal imbalances. The liver has to work to rid the body of these hormones but it cannot do so if it is dealing with alcohol congestion.

Chavarro's study “Iron Intake and Risk of Ovulatory Infertility" states that women who consume large quantities of non-heme iron found in lentils, spinach, and supplements have a 40% better chance of conceiving than women who consume little or no non-heme iron found in meats. “Red meat contains arachidonic acid that can cause or worsen internal inflammatory reactions.  The body is then in a state of disease and has less energy available for normal functions like procreation."

Anti oxidants like fruit, vegetables, green tea increase sperm counts and their ability to swim according to a Berkeley study  "Antioxidant Intake is Associated with Semen Quality in Healthy Men" . The sperm of men who consume very low quantities of antioxidants is only two thirds as motile as the sperm of men who consume high quantities of antioxidants.

In another study "Semen Quality of Fertile Males in Relation to their Mother's Beef Consumption During Pregnancy" men whose mothers ate red meat seven times a week while pregnant were three times as likely to have low sperm counts as those whose mothers ate less meat; which means that the man’s abilities were impaired while still in the womb.

According to a new study from Harvard University, the intake of processed meats, hamburgers, hot dogs, bacon is associated with lower semen quality in men. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health presented the link between bacon and male fertility at the 2013 American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference.

What is the ideal diet for a man interested in increasing his fertility?  Studies show that men who have a diet richer in fruits and vegetables than meats and fats have higher sperm production. If you want to have a baby, try whole grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruit in season and organic if possible. Increase your consumption of good fats like olive and coconut oil and avoid dangerous fats.

To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.peopleforanimalsindia.org