Abstract
There is a growing body of evidence that men and women that are overweight or obese are prone to reproductive dysfunction and that specific serum metabolites or hormones may indicate the severity of this dysfunction. Furthermore, being overweight or obese is inextricably linked to polycystic ovary syndrome, the most common cause of anovulatory infertility in women. Given the ever-increasing prevalence of being overweight or obesity worldwide, this predicts a somber future for human fertility, and there is also mounting evidence that the health of future generations is threatened. Animal obesity models have been useful for identifying potential underlying molecular mechanisms. Lifestyle interventions of low to moderate intensity that improve dietary intake and physical activity may act as a circuit breaker that not only promises to improve overall health but to also restore fertility. Given the increasing contribution of being overweight or obese to the burden of disease worldwide, it is evident that effective population-wide interventions are needed to reduce body weight and adiposity and improve associated obesity-related conditions including subfertility or infertility.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Handbook of Fertility |
Subtitle of host publication | Nutrition, Diet, Lifestyle and Reproductive Health |
Editors | Ronald Ross Watson |
Place of Publication | San Diego CA USA |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 119 - 132 |
Number of pages | 14 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780128008720 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |