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Avocados promote successful conception
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Eating avocados and salads dressed with olive oil increases women's chances of successful conception during IVF. This is the conclusion reached by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health. They believe that products included in the Mediterranean diet improve the indicators more than three times.
The study found that monounsaturated fats (found in olives, olive and sunflower oils, nuts, seeds) are much healthier for women trying to get pregnant than other types of dietary fats. Experts believe that monounsaturated fats, which are known to protect the heart, may improve fertility by suppressing inflammation in the body.
"It is best for expectant mothers to give preference to avocados and olive oil, which contain the largest amount of monounsaturated fats," comments the study's leader, Professor Jorge Chavarro. His work involved 147 women who underwent IVF at Massachusetts General Hospital. He found that those who consumed saturated fats (butter, red meat) had fewer eggs suitable for fertilization. A diet rich in polyunsaturated fats had a negative effect on the quality of embryos. In turn, active consumption of monounsaturated fats increases the likelihood of having a child after IVF by 3.4 times.
"It is not yet clear what biological mechanisms underlie the association we found. Although the study was not very large, its results are noteworthy and there is a need for further work," says Chavarro.
The study was presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Istanbul. The work was supported by the American Institute of Health.
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