Tim Worstall

Trans Fats and Infertility

You know, there’s something I’m afraid I don’t really believe about this research:

Fats used to cook foods such as French fries and
biscuits dramatically increase a woman’s risk of becoming infertile,
according to new research.

An American study of
more than 18,000 women reveals that trans fats can reduce the chances
of having a baby by up to 70 per cent.

…

The results, published in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, showed a woman’s chances of falling pregnant
dropped by 73 per cent for every two per cent increase in the amount of
calories she got from trans fats.

Dr Jorge Chavarro, who led the study, said that equated to only four grammes of trans fats a day.

A portion of takeaway fried chicken could have as much as seven grammes of trans fats.

"It’s
not very hard to get four grammes of trans fatty acids every day," he
said. "It’s really a small amount of fats that we observed having a
significant effect on infertility."

Hhhm. In our own dear and pleasant land we have the chaverati, commonly believed to live on an unvarying diet of chips and buckets of KFC. They are also the group with the highest fertility rate.

Doesn’t quite match up really, does it?

In

7 responses

  1. Kit Avatar
    Kit

    It’s bollocks. The ways these researchers work is:
    1. Switch on computer
    2. Download survey – usually collected from nurses.
    3. Strip out most of the sample – too old, too young, with children, etc
    4. Now you have cut down the sample to a couple of hundred women.
    5. Let the computer do its stuff.
    6. Out pops the answer and publish.
    Of course the result is statistically insignificant but who cares?

    Reply
  2. JuliaM Avatar
    JuliaM

    You forgot the pre-requisite:
    ‘Have pre-formed opinion/assumption that you want to ‘prove’ with your research..

    Reply
  3. procrustes Avatar
    procrustes

    here’s an article that includes a sceptic
    “But nutritionist Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, tells WebMD the findings are unconvincing. Nestle is a professor in the department of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University in Manhattan.
    She points out that the researchers were only able to show an increased infertility risk when they adjusted for many other possible infertility risk factors.
    “If you look at their raw data, it just didn’t show an increase in risk,” she says. “And even when the adjustments were made, the numbers were still very small.”
    Nestle says the only dietary factors proven to play a role in infertility are eating way too little and eating way too much. Infertility is common among womewho starve themselves for long periods or who are very obese.
    There is little to suggest that the individual foods women eat play a significant role in fertility, Nestle says.
    “I am always skeptical when I hear the claim that a particular food or food component has a very large impact on health,” she says.”
    see
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/12/health/webmd/main2357682.shtml

    Reply
  4. gene berman Avatar
    gene berman

    Procrustes:
    Wasn’t that quote from her article on polonium-210 as a micronutrient?

    Reply
  5. procrustes Avatar
    procrustes

    well, gene berman, I like this quote:
    “In an effort to kick ’em while they’re down, researchers continue to churn out more studies on the alleged evils of trans fats. While these never-ending reports certainly aren’t lacking quantity, even notorious food scold Marion Nestle questions their quality.”
    from: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3226

    Reply
  6. Mark Wadsworth Avatar
    Mark Wadsworth

    Oh come off it, the whole thing was a spoof “Dr Jose CHAVarro” should give you a clue.

    Reply
  7. Mari Avatar
    Mari

    Hi everyone, I came across a book that might be relevant to the topic discussed here.
    It’s called “The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility” by Dr. Nancy Dunne.
    It’s a comprehensive book that covers dozens of PCOS and diet topics. This is her website:
    http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com.

    Reply

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