Soy foods protect against BPA effects on fertility

BPA is an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics and has been found to have a negative impact on estrogen levels.

For this latest study, scientists at Harvard University expanded on the results of previous research that showed how fertility issues associated with BPA could be prevented by adopting a soy-based diet.

Their research involved monitoring 239 women who underwent IVF over a six year period. Each participant filled out dietary questionnaires about their consumption of soy-based foods and gave urine samples before each fertility cycle.

Most of the women underwent at least one cycle of IVF with 18 per cent having two cycles and 11 per cent having three cycles.

The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, revealed that as BPA levels increased, the women who didn’t eat soy foods had low rates of implantation, pregnancy and birth. But for the women who did eat soy, the BPA levels had little effect on conception.

According to lead researcher Dr Jorge Chavarro, the results support similar studies that show BPA seems to be able switch on and off certain genes in the body and that soy-based food prevents BPA from being able to do so.

He suggests that further research is needed to see if the results are the same for couples trying to get pregnant without IVF but it’s clear that soy appears to be beneficial to women who are trying to fall pregnant

Want to start eating more soy? Try this tofu veggie burger or kale sushi rolls for dinner tonight.

And you can further reduce your exposure to BPA by switching from canned to fresh foods and replacing plastic food containers with glass or metal.

 

Source: bodyandSoul