Posted on 06/28/2004 12:20:02 PM PDT by Ethan Clive Osgoode
Atkins 'affects conception chances'
By Caroline Ryan
BBC News Online health staff in Berlin
_____________________________________________________
Eating a high protein diet - such as Atkins - could reduce a woman's chances of conceiving, researchers suggest.
The University of Colorado carried out tests which showed that if mice ate a diet containing 25% protein, it would affect embryo and foetal development.
They told a Berlin fertility conference this could mean women eating over 30% protein may have trouble conceiving.
But an Atkins spokeswoman said they had seen cases where the diet improved women's chances of becoming pregnant.
She said the diet did not set limits on how much protein people should eat.
The researchers fed female mice diets with either a high proportion of protein (25%) or a normal proportion (around 14%).
It was found those on the high protein diet had four times the amount of ammonium in their reproductive tracts than those on a normal diet.
Previous research had shown that high levels of ammonium can damage mouse embryos and impair foetal development by affecting a key gene - H19 - involved in controlling growth.
The gene is only supposed to be activated if it is inherited from the mother. But in two thirds of embryos from mice on high protein diets, it was the father's HI9 gene that was switched on.
These embryos were later unable to develop properly in the womb.
'Prudent move'
In this study, 174 embryos at an early stage of their development were transferred from both groups of mice to surrogate mothers fed a normal diet.
This study found that just over a third of embryos developed in mothers on the high-protein diet, compared to 70% in the normal diet group.
Sixty-five per cent of the high-protein embryos developed into foetuses, compared to 81% from the normal diet group.
And while virtually all the embryos from that group continued to develop, compared to just 84% of those from the high-protein group.
The research team said these findings, along with similar research in cows, meant it would be "prudent" of women who were trying to conceive to limit their protein intake to around 20% of their diet.
Dr David Gardner, who led the study, told BBC News Online: "The rate of foetal development was severely reduced as a result of the high protein diet of the mother."
He said caution was needed in interpreting the data, because the study looked at mice who are herbivores.
But he added: "You can extrapolate these findings.
"It's conceivable that people who have protein intakes greater than 30% may have problems conceiving."
But a spokeswoman for Atkins Nutritionals said: "The study subjects were mice, which are herbivores. Whether or not these findings or effects would apply to humans, who are omnivores, is unknown."
She said other research had shown that reducing carbohydrate levels, as advised by the Atkins diet, could help overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome to conceive.
The research was presented at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
Will Atkins replace the rhythm method of birth control? :^D
This could be a phenomenon not altogether medical...
Now we need a detailed study of what happens if you feed a cabbage diet to cats. They’ll probably come up with the results that we should stick to eating proteins to be able to conceive.
Well this is good as the loss of weight works inversely with the chance of getting ................ :-)
Ethan Clive Osgoode is one of FR's primary jihadists.
Does Atkins affect likelihood of conception? Uh... duh, Yeah! Losing 50 pounds can make anyone MUCH more likely to reproduce!
I thought liberals hated babies?
Thanks for the heads-up.
Right... women who are significantly overweight are much less likely to conceive, and of course have the high risk of gestational diabetes if they do conceive.
Seems to me like the liberals want to keep Americans fat and sterile.
atkins ping
Seriously, folks...
This is known as manufacturing the results you desire.
Wanna prove Atkins is harmful?
Well, let's take a species known to not encounter exceptionally high levels of protein; falsely generalize Atkins to be simply a high-protein diet (as opposed to a low-carb diet); and of course pick a measurement known to have false applicability to humans. In this case, mice have long been known to adjust fertility according to food supply. To a mouse's evolutionary system, high protein may indicate a poor diet (dead bugs, garbage, etc.) whereas to a human it indicates a successful diet (good hunt, choice food availability, etc.)
Here's a better test: Pick an ominvorous animal (thus, more analagous to humans). Replace the protein and fats portion of its diet with sugar and bleached wheat (what has happened to the American diet.) Measure fertility rate. Replace sugar and bleached wheat with protein and fats again. Measure again. Note difference.
>>>>>The Atkins diet may help a woman with PCOS become pregnant. PCOS is a condition where a woman's ovaries produce testosterone in the presence of elevated blood sugar (it's a bit more complicated, but that's the gist of it) and can render a woman infertile. Reduced carb diets (not necessarily Atkins) can help the condition quite a bit.<<<<<<
That is correct. I know of quite a few women who had spent thousands and thousands of dollars for fertility treatment fail time and time again but got pregnant after going on a low carb diet for only a few months. They all had PCOS.
Coming up with a headline like that from that study is a real stretch.
Just because it comes prescribed from a doctor does not mean that it is good science. A lot of it is "social science" engineering.
"Save a Rubber...eat a steak!"
"Condoms are for Vegans!"
"Got Ketones?" ( said by a sperm holding a knife and fork)
The ideas are ENDLESS!
The problems with the various diets and their critics are the lack of double blind tests. Too many dieticians and nutritionists quote "studies" done (quite possibly paid for by someone with an agenda) that they preach "proves" this or that. Double blind testing should put everything to rest once and for all. It could be paid for with federal funds diverted from the NEA (yes, both organizations) or from grants for studies on left-handed Armenian whores with pet frogs.
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