Association Between the Frequency of Eating Non-home-prepared Meals and Women Infertility in the United States

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether eating non-home-prepared meals (NHPM), including fast food, readyto-eat foods, and frozen foods, was associated with self-reported infertility in the United States women. Methods: Data on diet and infertility from women aged 20-49 years who participated in the 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed (n=2143). Dietary information, including the number and types of NHPM consumed, was obtained from a self-reported questionnaire, and infertility status was analyzed using the following question, "Have you ever attempted to become pregnant over a period of at least a year without becoming pregnant?" Results: The frequency of NHPM consumption was positively associated with self-reported infertility after adjusting for confounding effects (odds ratio [OR], 2.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48 to 5.38 of >1 vs. 0 NHPM/d). The odds of infertility were 2-3 times higher in women who consumed fast food than in those who did not consume fast food (OR, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.15 to 6.48 of >1 vs. 0 times/d). Conclusions: The frequency and types of NHPM may be a factor contributing to infertility. Although our findings require confirmation, they suggest that eating out may be deleterious to women fecundity.

Alimentação na preconceção e fertilidade feminina

“…Dieta ocidental e consumo alimentar fora de casa Pelo seu elevado teor em gordura, a ingestão de refeições fora de casa, nomeadamente de fast-food, poderá estar associada à infertilidade (61). Uma coorte com cerca de 5 600 mulheres verificou uma tendência significativa para a diminuição da fertilidade e aumento do tempo necessário para alcançar a gravidez com o aumento da ingestão de fast-food na preconceção (p para a tendência = 0,001, em ambos os casos) (62).…”

Current trends in take-out food consumption and its influencing factors among first-trimester pregnant women in Changsha

“…Additionally, a large-scale birth cohort study in Japan demonstrated that the consumption of ready-made and frozen meals during pregnancy may increase the risk of stillbirth [19]. Another study conducted in the United States suggested that the consumption of meals not prepared at home may contribute to the risk of infertility in women [20].…”

Impact of Ready-Meal Consumption during Pregnancy on Birth Outcomes: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study

“…Some studies have reported that ready-made meal consumption is associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity [3]; however, others have reported no such association [4]. The effects of consumption of processed foods during pregnancy on pregnancy outcomes have been largely unexplored; the evidence is confined to one study that suggests that consumption of meals not prepared at home may contribute to the risk of infertility [5]. The prospective birth cohort in Osaka, Japan, showed that the average intake of coffee in pregnant women is 0.14 cups/day [6].…”