Brazil Nuts Can Boost A Woman's Fertility

Are you trying to get pregnant?Please read this!

An element found in nuts, red meat and seafood could increase a woman's chance of conceiving.

Scientists found that selenium, a natural antioxidant, plays a crucial role in the early stages of conception - and of all foods, Brazil nuts have the highest level. 

Selenium is crucial in the development of healthy ovarian follicles, which are responsible for the production of eggs in women.

Selenium - found in nuts, red meat and seafood - could be crucial in the development of healthy ovarian follicles, which are responsible for the production of eggs in women, research found

Melanie Ceko, from the University of Adelaide, who carried out the research, said: 'Selenium is an essential trace element found in protein-rich foods like red meat, seafood and nuts.'

'It is important for many biological functions, such as immune response, thyroid hormone production, and acts as an antioxidant, helping to detoxify damaging chemicals in the body.

'We've known for some time that selenium is important to men's fertility, but until now no one has researched how this element could be involved in healthy reproduction in women.'

As part of the study, researchers pinpointed exactly where selenium was located in the ovary.

Then, they turned their attention to a protein containing selenium, called GPX1.

They found that levels of selenium and proteins containing selenium were higher in large, healthy ovarian follicles, where eggs are produced.

Ms Ceko said: 'We suspect they play a critical role as an antioxidant during the late stages of follicle development, helping to lead to a healthy environment for the egg.'

In some cases, eggs that yielded a pregnancy had double the levels of GPX1, she added.

Researchers hope their findings will help treat women with infertility problems.

Further research could be carried out to better understand how selenium levels could be optimized to improve women's chances of conceiving, they said.

A recent study from Harvard School of Public Health in the US, found dropping a dress size helps a woman get pregnant faster – even if she isn't overweight to start with.

Women who lost 11lb – the equivalent of going from a size 14 to a 12 – conceived a fortnight faster than others, a study found.

Surprisingly, those who were slim to begin with benefited just as much as those who were fat.

The researchers said the finding couldn't simply be explained by overweight women having irregular periods, one of the most common causes of infertility in women. 

The study contradicted research published in 2011 which warned that being too skinny is worse than being too fat when trying for a baby.

A study found that skinny women are less likely to become pregnant than those who are overweight – including those classed as dangerously obese. 

FOODS CONTAINING SELENIUM 

Brazil nuts

Seeds

Seafood - especially tuna, swordfish, halibut, mackerel, oysters, mussels, squid, lobster and clams

Wholewheat bread

Red meat

Mushrooms

Whole grains like rye 

culled from dailymail.