New study has discovered that intermittent fasting may lead to fertility problems Image Courtesy Reuters
New Delhi: Are you a fan of intermittent fasting and fad diets? Well, here is some news which may come as a shock for you.
According to new research intermittent fasting may lead to fertility problems.
The purpose of the study was to determine what happens to male and female Zebrafish (Danio rerio) when they are introduced to food before and after a period of fasting.
According to media reports, the researchers tracked how Zebrafish utilised resources to maintain their bodies, produce eggs and sperm, and produce high-quality offspring.
And they discovered that some of the detrimental impacts on sperm and egg quality persisted even when the fish resumed their regular food intake.
The quantity of offspring generated by female zebrafish increased, but the quality of their eggs and offspring declined, and the male’s sperm similarly showed a decline in quality.
The results, according to Dr. Edward Ivimey-Cook from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia, highlight the need of taking into account “not simply the effect of fasting on body maintenance but also on the production of eggs and sperm.”
However, more study is required to determine how long it takes for the sperm and egg quality to return to normal following the fasting period.
“Time-restricted fasting is an eating pattern where people limit their food consumption to certain hours of the day. It’s a popular health and fitness trend and people are doing it to lose weight and improve their health,” Prof Alexei Maklakov, from UEA’s School of Biological Sciences was quoted as saying by Sky News.
“But the way organisms respond to food shortages can affect the quality of eggs and sperm, and such effects could potentially continue after the end of the fasting period. We wanted to find out more about how these sorts of diets can affect fertility in a popular model organism,” he added.
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