Trans fats ‘increase infertility risk’

Trans fats may make women infertile, according to a new study.

The claim comes after scientists at Harvard School of Public Health found that women with ovulation-related fertility problems were found to eat more trans fats than fertile women, reported WebMD.

When obtaining more than two per cent of total calories from trans fats, as opposed to monounsaturated fats, scientists found they could double the risk factors of infertility.

Furthermore, the risk increased by 73 per cent for every two per cent of trans fats consumed as a replacement for carbohydrates.

Jorge E Chavarro, lead author on the research, called the effects of trans fats on heart disease and metabolism “very deleterious”.

“Avoiding trans fats is a good idea for many reasons and one of them may be reducing infertility risk,” he added.

Proposals to ban the artificial fats in the UK, led by the Food Standards Agency and Department of Health, were recently reported in the Scotsman.