Attention all men: Your favorite meats may be making it harder for you to have a child.
A new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that processed red meats, like sausage, Spam and bacon, could lead to infertility among men, according to The Guardian.
The study looked at the eating habits of 141 men who were trying to conceive through in vitro fertilization, The Guardian reported. The men who ate less than 1.5 servings of processed meat a week were 28 percent more likely to conceive a child using IVF than those who ate at least four servings a week, The Guardian reported.
Researcher Dr. Natan Bar-Chama said this study is evidence that men shouldnt eat bacon and sausage when theyre trying to conceive, according to Health.com.
"Decreasing processed-meat consumption can now be added to the list of recommendations such as to stop smoking, decrease alcohol consumption and lose weight that we can offer to men prior to fertility treatments to optimize outcomes," Bar-Chama told Health.com.
But this doesnt mean men have to do away with all meats. Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urology specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told Health.com that the study doesnt show a direct link between these meats and fertility. Its more correlation, not causality, she said.
Kavaler also said these results may be linked to each mans individual diets, rather than the specific meats they eat. For example, the study said poultry helped men with their fertility. Men with healthier diets often eat poultry rather than processed red meats, Kavaler said.
One of the reasons the study may have found more successful outcomes in the men undergoing fertility treatments who ate chicken over bacon is that chicken-eaters may have an overall healthier diet and lifestyle than bacon-eaters, Kavaler told Health.com. Perhaps it is not the meat that is the problem, but the dietary choices that men who eat bacon make. Healthier dietary choices usually correlates with a healthier lifestyle, which may overall increase fertility outcomes.
There are some healthy habits future dads can embrace if theyre interested in having a baby. WebMD suggests men avoid cigarette and tobacco use, which can reduce sperm production and damage DNA.
Men may also want to embrace a healthier diet, since research shows overweight couples often take longer to conceive, according to Live Science. Obesity can also affect a mans sperm quality and quantity and can also damage a mans DNA, which can affect the mans future childs DNA, too.
Live Science also suggests men keep a healthy lifestyle through multivitamin consumption.
Its also recommended that men consult their physicians regularly if theyre having trouble conceiving.
A new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that processed red meats, like sausage, Spam and bacon, could lead to infertility among men, according to The Guardian.
The study looked at the eating habits of 141 men who were trying to conceive through in vitro fertilization, The Guardian reported. The men who ate less than 1.5 servings of processed meat a week were 28 percent more likely to conceive a child using IVF than those who ate at least four servings a week, The Guardian reported.
Researcher Dr. Natan Bar-Chama said this study is evidence that men shouldnt eat bacon and sausage when theyre trying to conceive, according to Health.com.
"Decreasing processed-meat consumption can now be added to the list of recommendations such as to stop smoking, decrease alcohol consumption and lose weight that we can offer to men prior to fertility treatments to optimize outcomes," Bar-Chama told Health.com.
But this doesnt mean men have to do away with all meats. Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urology specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told Health.com that the study doesnt show a direct link between these meats and fertility. Its more correlation, not causality, she said.
Kavaler also said these results may be linked to each mans individual diets, rather than the specific meats they eat. For example, the study said poultry helped men with their fertility. Men with healthier diets often eat poultry rather than processed red meats, Kavaler said.
One of the reasons the study may have found more successful outcomes in the men undergoing fertility treatments who ate chicken over bacon is that chicken-eaters may have an overall healthier diet and lifestyle than bacon-eaters, Kavaler told Health.com. Perhaps it is not the meat that is the problem, but the dietary choices that men who eat bacon make. Healthier dietary choices usually correlates with a healthier lifestyle, which may overall increase fertility outcomes.
There are some healthy habits future dads can embrace if theyre interested in having a baby. WebMD suggests men avoid cigarette and tobacco use, which can reduce sperm production and damage DNA.
Men may also want to embrace a healthier diet, since research shows overweight couples often take longer to conceive, according to Live Science. Obesity can also affect a mans sperm quality and quantity and can also damage a mans DNA, which can affect the mans future childs DNA, too.
Live Science also suggests men keep a healthy lifestyle through multivitamin consumption.
Its also recommended that men consult their physicians regularly if theyre having trouble conceiving.