<<Print>>

Eating avocados and dressing salads with olive oil could help women trying to have a baby through IVF, researchers claim. Foods typically eaten as part of the Mediterranean diet may triple the chances of success for women having the fertility treatment. A study found monounsaturated fat � found in olive oil, sunflower oil, nuts and seeds � was better than any other kind of dietary fat for would-be mothers. Those who ate the highest amounts were 3.4 times more likely to have a child after IVF than those who ate the lowest amounts. In contrast, women who ate mostly saturated fat, found in butter and red meat, produced fewer good eggs for use in fertility treatment. US experts behind the study believe monounsaturated fats � which are already known to protect the heart � could improve fertility by lowering inflammation in the body. The study was presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Istanbul. It was carried out at Harvard School of Public Health, funded by the US National Institutes of Health.