Eating ultra-processed foods can impact fertility in men and women
A new study published in Human Reproduction found that eating a lot of ultra-processed foods (UPFs, think packaged snacks, sodas, and ready meals) could lower male fertility.
Researchers tracked 831 women and 651 men from the Generation R Study Next Programme (2017-2021) and noticed that UPFs made up about one-fourth of both men's and women's diets.
The findings raise concerns about how what we eat might affect our chances of having children.
Healthy eating can make a difference for future generations
Men who ate more UPFs had a higher risk of subfertility and took longer to conceive with their partners.
For women, UPF intake wasn't linked to subfertility but was tied to slightly reduced embryo growth by week seven.
The researchers say it's important for both parents to pay attention to their diets when thinking about starting a family: healthy eating now could make a real difference for future generations.