Why do we recommend a grain-free diet as part of our fertility program? Based on the scientific research cited in this article, we believe wheat-avoidance is an integral part of restoration of health and fertility.
Freed, David L.J. Lectins in Food: Their Importance In Health and Disease. Journal of Nutritional Medicine; 1991, Vol. 2 Issue 1, p. 45-65.
Lectins are glycoprotein molecules found in whole grains and wheat as well as other foods; they escape the effects of high temperatures in cooking and the effects of digestive enzymes, entering the blood stream intact.
The Effects of Lectins on Fertility
Here are a few excerpts from this review article.
The effect of lectin binding “on the living cell is to increase its rigidity and adhesiveness…transport of several vital molecules through the stiffened membrane is interrupted. On the whole, cell membranes need to be kept fluid for optimal health…”
“A stiffened, sticky, lectinized cell cannot readily slide past other cells, so that the overall viscosity of the tissue will be inappropriately high and the cellular rearrangements required for normal embryonic development will be interrupted. This has been shown to occur after lectin treatment of developing Xenopus embryos, and postulated in human neural tube deformities.”
Continuing “…many lectins bind to cartilage. When they bind to growth-plate chondrocytes, this becomes relevant also to the development of the growing animal. Another way in which lectins can interfere with tissue development is by blocking the effects of growth factors.”
“Agglutination of spermatozoa is one of the classic tests for lectin activity in plant extracts. The majority of lectins bind to human and animal testis, epidydymis, spermatids and spermatozoa, and can to toxic to them. In the female, ovarian tissue and ova are susceptible, as well as uterine endometrium, in which lectin binding sites alter with hormonal phase…a variety of other lectins bind also to human placenta and to early embryos…[WGA: wheat germ agglutinin lectin] prevents fertilization of hamster ova by spermatozoa.”
The Effects of Diet on Fertility
Cited below is a research article on endometriosis, the second most common cause of infertility. Since PGE2 comes from our diet, this is further reason to avoid grains and highly refined vegetable oils, both of which are high in PGE2.
Bunlun SE et al. Estrogen production and metabolism in endometriosis. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2002; Mar 955:75-85
According to this research article, “aromatase activity is absent in normal endometrium. In contrast, aromatase in expressed aberrantly in endometriosis, which gives rise to strikingly high levels of aromatase activity in this tissue. Both aromatase expression and activity are stimulated by PGE2.
…extremely high levels of aromatase mRNA were found in extraovarian endometriotic implants and endometriomas.
…PGE2 was found to be the most potent known inducer of aromatase activity in endometriotic stromal cells.”
How Can We Eat to Promote Fertility?
Here is an article on fertility and diet entitled, “Is There Such Thing as a Fertility Diet”?
Polotsky, AJ, Houston S. Is there such thing as a fertility diet? Contemp OB Gyn, 2009 Nov; 54(11): 37-8, 40, 42 (22 ref)
“Infertility…affects an estimated 15% of all couples during their reproductive years. The probability of pregnancy drops in women who are on the extremes of body mass, either underweight or obese…”
“For an estimated one-third of all infertile couples, anovulation is the primary reason for infertility. Furthermore the most common reason for anovulation is the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)…frequently associated with obesity. It has long been known that the pathogenesis of PCOS involves insulin resistance…”
“Specifically, the factors thought to be related to low risk of ovulatory disorders included a lower intake of monosaturated trans fat, a lower intake of animal protein, greater vegetable protein intake, and a higher intake of high-fiber, low-glycemic carbohydrates.”
“ …preference for transunsaturated fats in the diet appeared to raise the risk of anolulatory infertility by as much as 70%…”
“Finally…they found an inverse relationship between the risk of ovulatory infertility and the use of multivitamin supplements.”
One of the conclusions of this study is that:
“Following a fertility diet may result in a more cost-effective and less medicalized method of improving reproductive health in women with anovulatory disorders.”
What’s So Special About the Mediterranean Diet?
This entire paper can be downloaded for free from www.pubmed.com.
Simopoulos AP et al.The Mediterranean diets: What is so special about the diet of Greece? The scientific evidence. J Nutr. 2001 Nov;131(11 Suppl):3065S-73S.
“Extensive studies on the traditional diet of Greece (the diet before 1960) indicates that the dietary pattern of Greeks consists of a high intake of fruits, vegetables (particularly wild plants), nuts and cereals…more olive oil… less milk but more cheese; more fish; less meat; and moderate amounts of wine, more so than other Mediterranean countries. Analyses of the dietary pattern of the diet of Crete shows a number of protective substances, such as selenium, glutathione, a balanced ratio of (n-6):(n-3) essential fatty acids (EFA), high amounts of fiber, antioxidants (especially reversatrol from wine and polyphenols from olive oil), vitamins E and C…”
In addition to the high amounts of fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables (low glycemic index foods) that offer micronutrients and antioxidants, olive oil, and 30 times more fish than the U.S. population, the emerging consensus has been that the high omega-3 levels; or balanced (n-6):(n-3) ratio of dietary fatty acids, awarded the people of Crete with the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Omega-6 fatty acids are derived from arachadonic acid and are broken down through enzymes into inflammatory chemicals like prostaglandins PGE2 (which is a huge culprit in endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome) and leucotrienes. In contrast Omega-3 fatty acids are derived from EPA and DHA have anti-inflammatory effects. The ratio of Omega-6:Omega-3 fatty acids in our diet is crucial.
Refined vegetable oils and grains are the highest sources of Omega-6 fatty acids in the American diet. Chickens that are fed grains lay eggs that are high in Omega-6 fatty acids compared to chickens that wander the countryside eating their normal diet of bugs, worms, insects, and greens. Grain-fed chicken yolks have (n-6):(n-3) ratio of 19.4, whereas non-grain-fed chickens yolks have a 1.3 ratio. So while eggs are a good source of protein, consider eating only free-range chicken eggs! The same holds true for meat.
Omega-6 fatty acids stimulate tumor genesis and growth whereas Omega-3 fatty acids suppress tumor formation and growth and even cause tumor cell death.
The Mediterranean Diet and Paleolithic Diet are similar in that they are low or non-grain, refined vegetable oil free, practically wheat-free, high in Omega-3 fatty acids, high in fiber, fruit and vegetable content, anti-inflammatory and protective.
The next paper can also be downloaded for free from www.pubmed.com, and further information about the Paleolithic Diet can be found on www.thepaleodiet.com. Leading researcher Loren Cordain Ph.D. coined this term.
“The Paleo Diet is a way of eating in the modern age that best mimics diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors – combinations of lean meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. By eating the foods that we are genetically adapted to eat, followers of the Paleo Diet are naturally lean…and are experiencing relief from numerous metabolic-related and autoimmune diseases.” (Quoted from The Paleo Diet website www.thepaleodiet.com.)
Why Decrease Omega-6 fatty Acids in our Diet?
Simopoulos AP. Evolutionary aspects of diet, the omega-6/omega-3 ratio and genetic variation: nutritional implications for chronic diseases. Biomed Pharmacother. 2006 Nov;60(9):502-7. Epub 2006 Aug 28.
“Anthropological and epidemiological studies and studies at the molecular level indicate that human beings evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of approximately 1 whereas in Western diets the ratio is 15/1 to 16.7/1. A high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today’s Western diets, promotes the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (a lower omega-6/omega-3 ratio), exert suppressive effects.”
Also available for free download on pubmed is a paper on the benefits of the Paleolithic diet.
The Benefits of A Paleolithic Diet
Jönsson TA et al. A Paleolithic diet confers higher insulin sensitivity, lower C-reactive protein and lower blood pressure than a cereal-based diet in domestic pigs. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2006 Nov 2;3:39.
“A Paleolithic diet has been suggested to be more in concordance with human evolutionary legacy than a cereal based diet. This might explain the lower incidence among hunter-gatherers of diseases of affluence such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.”
“In conclusion…the results suggest that pigs, as previously suggested for humans, are not specifically adapted through evolution to a diet incorporating large amounts of cereals…”
