NUTRITION AND FERTILITY

The first studies about fertility and nutrition
date back to the 70ies and already showed a
strict relation among female fertility, weight
and body composition. However, the mechanisms
of this connection started to be explained
only after leptin’s discovery. According
to some authors’ opinion, leptin could interact
with reproductive axis at multiple sites
with stimulatory effects at the hypothalamus
and pituitary and stimulatory or inhibitory
actions at the gonads. Leptin could play a
role in other physiologic processes such as
menstruation and pregnancy, and could initiate
the complex process of puberty. It has
been showed that conditions in which nutritional
status is suboptimal, such as eating
disorders, exercise induced amenhorrea,
functional hypothalamic amenhorrea and
polycystic ovarian syndrome, are associated
with abnormal leptin levels. These conditions,
are characterized by severe changes
in body composition and dietary habits. Since
leptin is regulated by body composition and
dietary factors, (such as energy intake and
macronutrient composition), a strict connection
between nutritional intake and fertility
regulated by leptin is confirmed. This
review focuses on the current knowledge
about nutritional factors that influence leptin
levels. Since clinical and subclinical nutritional
imbalance can determine the development
and the maintenance of neuroendocrine
and metabolic aberrations, studies
on fertility need a deeper attention about dietary
habits and nutritional status.