Cutting Out Processed Meats May Improve Fertility

An August 5 study in the international medical journal Fertility and Sterility found that men who consumed processed meats such as bacon and sausage had worse fertility success than those who didn’t. “Decreasing processed-meat consumption can now be added to the list of recommendations—such as to stop smoking, decrease alcohol consumption, and lose weight—that we can offer to men prior to fertility treatments to optimize outcomes,” Dr. Natan Bar-Chama, director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital, said. This latest study joins many others that advise consumers to avoid processed meats, or meat altogether, to promote fertility.