Fat and Fertility Do Mix

Eating ice cream may help expand your waistline in more ways than one: consuming full-fat dairy products may actually boost fertility, according to new Harvard research. In an eight-year study of women suffering from anovulatory infertility—infertility due to lack of ovulation—greater intake of full-fat dairy products directly correlated with a higher rate of conception.  

Conversely, a diet with low-fat or skimmed dairy products increased the probability of infertility. Not surprisingly, the license to splurge runs out when the pregnancy starts. "Once women have become pregnant, then they should probably switch back to low-fat dairy foods," says Dr. Jorge Chavarro, the study's author. (More nutrition stories.)