Did you know that we are going through an epidemic right now?
We're talking about the Epidemic of infertility. Trigger warning, this video might bother you,
especially if you're a woman struggling with PCOS or a man dealing with erectile dysfunction,
so if you’re not ready to hear about this, then this video might not be for you.
Fertility rates have decreased by 50% over the last 70 years.
On the other hand, chronic illnesses, like obesity and diabetes, are also
rising with it. Wondering what is making us sicker and less fertile?
The use of high-fructose corn syrup and vegetable oil has contributed to the outrageous rise of
chronic diseases over the years. These two foods have a clear connection in making us obese because
they both are a part of the "ultra-processed foods." The average American eats a whopping
60% of ultra-processed foods daily, which is associated with insulin resistance.
Excessive insulin levels in women prevent the conversion of testosterone into estrogen,
resulting in high androgen levels and PCOS. As opposed to this, men with high insulin
levels experience a drop in the production of testosterone, which directly affects the
production of sperm and can cause erectile dysfunction. Our love for ultra-processed
foods is making women prone to PCOS and more men experience decreasing sperm counts.
This fertility crisis requires urgent attention. So let's dig in deep.
Food is the body's fuel. But following a "Western diet" with lots of processed
and packaged food could be bad for our health. Foods with many artificial ingredients rather
than natural ones are ultra-processed. Having such a diet for a short time results in bloating
and gas. Whereas having it every day can cause obesity, diabetes, and chronic inflammation.
Recent research found ladies who usually eat meals via drive-thru experienced infertility
issues and had a more challenging time getting pregnant than those who ate healthier food.
What made those women infertile? Sugar was the common denominator! Processed foods use a
sweetener: high-fructose corn syrup or HFCS. It's not a chemical, but still bad for human health.
It is produced by a challenging process that transforms the glucose from corn
syrup into fructose. Only your liver can break down processed fructose,
which damages your body's cells and produces cellular inflammation.
Consuming too much fructose or HFCS can also cause insulin resistance, resulting in type 2 diabetes.
This is how it happens: Consuming carbohydrates causes insulin levels in healthy individuals to
rise, which moves the carbohydrates from the bloodstream into cells. But excessive fructose
consumption daily can make your body resistant to the effects of insulin. Your body's capacity
to regulate blood sugar diminishes. Both insulin and blood sugar levels rise gradually over time.
But what relevance does this have to infertility?
Raised insulin impacts your hormones. The insulin surge affects how the brain and hormones work
when absorbed. Anything that changes how your hormones react also changes your fertility.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, is the most common endocrine disorder affecting 6-22%
of all women worldwide. PCOS negatively impacts the health of women and non men in different ways.
Estrogen is a crucial hormone to become pregnant. Having too little or too much is problematic.
Women also have a male hormone called testosterone.
It regularly gets converted to estrogen. But insulin resistance inhibits the conversion of
testosterone to estrogen, which is the leading cause of PCOS.
The principal male hormone, testosterone, controls sperm production and fertility in men. It also
controls male hair patterns, vocal changes, voice deepening, growth spurts in puberty,
and skeletal muscle growth. Studies have revealed that a poor diet and
HFCS can change sperm. Testosterone levels often decline with high insulin levels.
In addition, people with diabetes, low-level inflammation, and obesity can rapidly develop
insulin resistance. So it would help if you were very careful of what you put in your system.
The glycemic index of high-fructose corn syrup is another factor that makes it risky.
Its glycemic Index is around 90, which is on the higher side. According to studies,
eating foods with a high glycemic index can lower fertility.
Every time you read HFCS on a product label, it indicates that the food
contains subpar components. Your food is guaranteed to have artificial substances,
non-nutritional if it contains HFCS. Since HFCS is less expensive than all other sweeteners,
manufacturers tend to add it in large amounts.
Does it mean that a synthetic sweetener is safe? Can you still have diet soda?
No! That stuff, too, can alter your hormones. Contrary to popular belief,
scientists have discovered that artificial sweeteners negatively alter the gut microbiome.
They interfere with healthy sugar regulation and impact insulin sensitivity and levels.
It can also cause polycystic ovarian syndrome. Studies have shown that they can
worsen testosterone levels in men too. Now let's talk about cooking oil.
We always need a little oil while roasting vegetables or preparing a salad dressing. Oils
like coconut, olive oil, and sunflower contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids. When consumed
within limits, oils are beneficial for resolving hormonal imbalances and reproductive problems.
However, vegetable oil is notorious for having high levels of omega-6
fatty acids too. You should avoid oils high in omega 6, like soybean, corn, and palm oil.
Processed junk food requires vegetable or industrial seed oils.
You’ll find them in your fries or tortilla chips. Your salad, too, could be doused with harmful seed
oils even if you were having it at home. The amount of omega-6 fats consumed in the West is
more than what is necessary for staying healthy. This has resulted in a highly imbalanced omega-6:3
ratio. This ratio has significantly increased over time, going from 1:1 to 20:1 or even more.
Consuming excessive amounts of omega-6 fats is hazardous. According to a study, the omega-6:3
ratio in blood and sperm was more than twice as high in infertile men. The absolute levels of
omega-3 fatty acids were also lower. Having too many unhealthy fatty foods caused this decline.
Infertility and hormonal imbalance brought on by vegetable oil begin in
women at a very young age. Missed periods, poor sex drive, ovarian and breast cysts,
infertility, and breast cancer are among the issues facing women today.
On the other side, research has demonstrated that men who consume more vegetable oil via processed
foods may experience issues with reduced sex drive and poor sperm count. Today globally,
15% of couples experience infertility, which affects both men and women equally.
Vegetable oil prevents conception because it contains harmful substances that directly
impact DNA. This causes a hormonal imbalance or infertility issues for
the parents and leads to severe genetic disorders in newborns.
Another serious issue with infertility brought on by vegetable oil is abortion and fetus death
in the womb. Pregnant women should give up all polyunsaturated fats from chips,
take-out meals, cookies, and other junk food during the initial months of pregnancy. It
can influence a baby's growth and lead to hormonal imbalances and infertility.
Vegetable oil contains a lot of unsaturated trans fats, which might lead to hormonal
imbalance or infertility. A study on infant mice found that a diet high in PUFA,
short for polyunsaturated fatty acids, from vegetable oils during early life produced
irreversible metabolic remodeling in testes with long-term sperm abnormalities. This
means you must be watchful of what you eat before planning your family.
Vegetable oils have been reported to suppress new follicle formation in the ovaries in women. They
have abortive and anti-implantation effects of the egg and sperm in the uterine wall.
Here's what you may want to do to keep fertility high.
Vegetable oil is present in almost all packaged or processed foods you buy. That's why keeping an
eye on your everyday food is crucial, especially while trying to conceive. According to a study,
couples trying to conceive were advised not to eat harmful oils as a preventative measure.
Some nations have also outlawed certain vegetable
oils, and only a few adhere to a set limit for their inclusion in packets.
So stay as far away from vegetable oils as much as you can. Use butter, lard, coconut oil, ghee,
or olive oil instead. Regardless of the oil you choose, you need a tiny amount of oil per day
unless you're attempting to gain weight. Roughly, 1 teaspoon suffices for each meal and each person.
Also, you should store oils for a maximum of a year. They do not get better with age as wine
does. So, buy it in small amounts. Discard any that has been sitting in your pantry for a long
time. While storing, keep it away from sunlight in a dark area because light damages the taste.
According to another study, the exposure of these oil packets to
light and heat triggers mutation in the body, which can lead to a severe hormonal
imbalance that results in infertility and disorders like endometriosis and PCOS.
Unsurprisingly, overeating junk food might lead to health problems
sooner or later. So make sure you're consuming wholesome stuff. You need
to know what's ideal for your body because each gender has different dietary demands.
Check out these 11 Best Superfoods For Men or 14 Healthy Foods Women Should Eat Every Day.
Go ahead. Click one, or better yet, watch both and learn what foods keep
your body healthy. What do you do to reduce the intake of High Fructose
Corn Syrup and vegetable oils in your diet? Let us know in the comments below.