# Fats hidden in thousands of foods can harm a woman’s chance of having a baby



## Wraakgodin (Jun 17, 2006)

Found this article in the Daily Mail newspaper online this morning:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=430111&in_page_id=1774&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=NEWS&ct=5

Fats hidden in thousands of foods can harm a woman's chance of having a baby, scientists said yesterday.

They can increase the risk of fertility problems by 70 per cent or more.

Eating as little as one doughnut or a portion of chips a day can have a damaging effect.

The scientists behind the study advised women who want to have a baby to avoid the fats, known as trans fats.

They are used in thousands of processed foods, from chocolate to pies, as well as take-away meals.

They have no nutritional value but are included simply to extend the shelf life of food.

It is very difficult to know the precise amount of trans fats in any food as it does not have to be put on the label.

Nutrition campaigners said the research provided 'considerable new weight and urgency' for trans fats to be banned.

The fats are found naturally in some red meat and dairy products, but most are produced artificially in a high-temperature process called hydrogenation which turns liquid oil into solid fat.

Previous studies have shown they can be linked to artery-blocking 'bad' cholesterol, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Processed and fast foods are already implicated in Britain's obesity crisis.

One in five Britons is obese and another two-fifths overweight.

Infertility is also a growing problem, with one in six couples having problems conceiving.

In the study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston looked at 18,500 women trying to conceive and found 438 cases of ovulatory problems.

If a woman does not ovulate there is no egg for sperm to fertilise and so she cannot become pregnant.

The scientists found that those who took two per cent of their energy intake from trans fats, instead of carbohydrates or polyunsaturated fats such as sunflower oil, had a 70 per cent greater risk of infertility through lack of ovulation.

Those whose energy came from trans fats instead of monounsaturated fats such as olive oil were twice as likely to have problems.

The amount of trans fats needed to reach the two per cent levels was just four grams a day in a 2,000-calorie diet.

People could easily eat that much in a meal of pie and chips or just one doughnut.

Lead researcher Dr Jorge Chavarro said: "It's really a small amount of fats that we observed having a significant effect on infertility."

He said his findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggested that women wanting to conceive should watch their trans fat consumption, as well as giving up smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.

This was particularly true for those with known problems in ovulating such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

It is not clear how the fats affect ovulation - but they may affect sensitivity to insulin, which is already known to play a role in fertility problems.

Oliver Tickell of the group TFX, which campaigns on the dangers of trans fats, said those with poor diets could be eating much more than four grams a day.

He said: "People who eat lots of take-aways and cheap foods could eat several tens of grams a day.

"There is already an overwhelming scientific case for banning trans fats and this new evidence gives it considerable new weight and urgency.

"There could be tens of thousands of women experiencing fertility problems and maybe underpartiallygoing IVF when what they need to do is just cut out trans fats."

Catherine Collins, chief nutritionist at St George's Hospital in Tooting, South-West London, said she was not surprised the fats could drastically reduce fertility.

"Diet as a whole is something we need to look at more closely in terms of infertility," she said.

"Shoppers need to look out for hydrogenated fats when buying things like biscuits."

Dr Richard Fleming, from the Glasgow Centre for Reproductive Medicine called the research "very interesting".

"It sounds like a potentially devastating effect," he said.

The Food and Drink Federation declined to comment directly on the study but insisted the industry was committed to reducing trans fats levels "as low as technically possible".

A spokesman said: "We want to dispel the myth that this is a major problem. Trans fats appear in only a relatively small number of products."

Burger King said it has been using "near-zero trans fat cooking oil" since 2005 and McDonald's said its restaurants will use a new oil from April.

But even if leading food manufacturers and retailers cut down on trans fat it will still be impossible for consumers to know how much there is in unpackaged foods sold in restaurants, cafes, delicatessans and work canteens. 

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## fluffyhelen9999 (May 13, 2005)

just a shame they are in the nice things!


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## mazv (Jul 31, 2006)

Helen.

I know what you mean! I've given up the caffeine and the alcohol (well kind of) but don't make me give up the chips and chocolate  

Maz x


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## jules32_uk (Jun 7, 2006)

Hi Everyone

A friend told me about this almost 4 years ago, so I have always looked out for it for in foods but it is in so many things.  Just look at the labels when you next go shopping.  Even the low fat, low sugar "so called diet bars" contain them.

However, chocolate on its own doesn't contain it which is at least some good news and the darker\ the chocolate the better.  But if you have a kit kat, lion bar, snickers, mars, timeout etc, things that are chocolate covered, then it does.  

Why is it that everything nice and yummy is bad for us.

Jules x


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