Improper diet can lead to many diseases, and recent surveys have shown that some foods, when consumed frequently, can cause infertility. Therefore, high attention should be paid to daily diet. Couples who want to have a baby should pay attention to the following foods that can easily cause infertility.
1. Carrots
Carrots are rich in carotene, various vitamins, and other nutrients beneficial to the human body. Gynecological experts at Rutgers Medical School in New Jersey, USA, have found that excessive consumption of carrots by women can lead to amenorrhea and inhibit the normal ovulation function of the ovaries due to the large amount of carotene intake. Therefore, women who wish to conceive should not eat too many carrots.
2. Alcohol
Scientific research has proven that the main component of alcohol is ethanol. Ethanol can increase the concentration of catecholamines in the body, cause vasospasm, testicular hypoplasia, and even testicular atrophy. This leads to structural changes in sperm production, insufficient secretion of male hormones such as testosterone, and feminizing symptoms such as a thinner voice and enlarged breasts. Such men are prone to male infertility, and even if they conceive, the risk of malformations in the next generation is also higher. In women, it can cause irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, abnormal egg production, loss of libido, or cessation of ovulation.
3. Crude Cottonseed Oil
Long-term consumption of crude cottonseed oil can cause sun-related illnesses, with symptoms such as发作 after sun exposure, general weakness, reduced sweating, hot skin, redness, palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, numbness in the limbs, and loss of appetite. A more serious effect is the damage to the reproductive system. Experimental studies have shown that after rats were fed a diet containing crude cottonseed oil for about 4 months, their testes significantly shrank, sperm cells were markedly reduced or even disappeared, the uterus shrank, and the endometrium and glands atrophied. The ovaries showed mild atrophy, and there was mild edema in the renal parenchymal cells. Adult men who took gossypol, an extract of crude cottonseed oil, at 60-70 mg per day for 40 days, had all their sperm killed in a short period and gradually disappeared from the semen. In women, it can lead to amenorrhea or uterine atrophy. Therefore, young people of childbearing age should not consume it long-term.
4. Coffee
Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in the USA studied 104 women who wished to become pregnant and concluded that coffee has a direct impact on conception. Among these women, those who drank more than one cup of coffee a day had only half the chance of getting pregnant compared to those who did not drink this beverage. Therefore, they suggest that women who plan to become pregnant should drink less coffee.
It should be noted that the nutrients in foods such as coffee, carrots, and sunflower seeds are essential for the human body. This article only recommends limiting the intake, while roasted beef and mutton, and crude cottonseed oil should be avoided.
5. Roasted Beef and Mutton
Eating roasted beef and mutton is a habit for residents in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and other regions. It was found that a few women who loved to eat roasted lamb gave birth to children with mental retardation, paralysis, or deformities. After investigation and modern medical research, these women and their deformed children were victims of Toxoplasma gondii infection. People can often become infected when they come into contact with livestock and poultry infected with toxoplasmosis and eat undercooked meat from these animals.
6. Garlic
Excessive consumption of garlic can deplete a person's vital energy (Zheng Qi) and has a significant sperm-killing effect. If young people of childbearing age consume too much, it has an adverse effect on fertility, so it should not be eaten in large quantities.
7. Sunflower Seeds
The protein portion of sunflower seeds contains components that inhibit the testes, which can cause testicular atrophy and affect normal reproductive function. Therefore, young people of childbearing age should not eat too many.