When we consider having a child, the truth is that there are many factors that can intervene as real obstacles, such as age. This means that science is focused on looking for different variables that can be ‘altered’ to tip the balance in our favor and favor fertility. And the last one that has been known is related to the much loved Mediterranean diet.
A new investigation. In a recent study published in the journal Food & Function, A Spanish research team has come to the conclusion that it is not about eating healthily, but rather that we need a set of nutrients that the Mediterranean diet gives us, which directly modulate the ecosystem of bacteria that our body has and that prepares it for a successful pregnancy.
The bacteria. On many occasions we see them as our enemies by causing very severe infections, but the reality is that they play a fundamental role within our body. In this sense, we have talked on many occasions about the intestinal microbiota, but there are also large bacterial colonies in the vagina that protect against a large number of infectious diseases.
In this sense, the research team analyzed vaginal samples from 104 women between 18 and 38 years old who had been diagnosed with primary infertility and who were undergoing artificial insemination processes. What they saw here is that the success of fertility treatment depended largely on who “governed” the patients’ vaginal microbiota.
The results. After crossing the samples with the patients’ diet, it was seen that those who followed a Mediterranean diet had a microbiome dominated by bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus. These microorganisms act as a protective shield and are strongly associated with a higher rate of successful pregnancies.
On the contrary, a poor diet left the door open to bacteria such as Gardnerella vaginalis. This pathogen is not only linked to annoying bacterial vaginosis, but the study directly relates it to implantation failures and failure of artificial insemination.
Because? Here the Mediterranean diet stands out for the micronutrients that foods contain and that we ingest almost without realizing it when we follow this dietary pattern that is so common in our country. Here vitamins A, C, D and E, along with beta-carotene, calcium and zinc, act as protectors of the vaginal ecosystem.
These elements not only nourish the patient, but selectively nourish the Lactobacillusstrengthening defenses against bacterial vaginosis and creating the perfect uterine and vaginal environment for insemination to thrive.
It is becoming more and more important. Although this study details for the first time this interaction between diet, vaginal bacteria and artificial insemination, scientific literature has already been warning that the refrigerator matters a lot in fertility.
But previous studies already indicated that women who followed a Mediterranean diet in the months before undergoing in vitro fertilization had success rates that were up to 68% higher. In this way, you can see that it is increasingly important to keep in mind that what you are going to eat is essential for even a new life to take shape.
Images | drobotdean in Magnific jcomp
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