Impact of diet on fertility: interview with Raphael Gruman, nutritionist

Hello Mr Raphaël Gruman, and thank you for agreeing to answer our questions. What is your background?

I have a degree in ‘Therapeutic dietetics and nutrition for good health’. I then trained in micro-nutrition for 3 years, followed by further training in the treatment of overweight children and adolescents, and finally the treatment of renal pathologies.

Why did you choose to become a nutritionist?

I met a dietician who worked in an advertising agency and she enlightened me on the different aspects of this profession, outside the hospital consultation room. I became interested in the different career opportunities.

Do you often see people with fertility problems?

They don’t form the majority of my patients, but I do have a few patients who consult me for fertility problems. I believe doctors specialising in fertility should refer their patients to specialists in nutrition, because numerous studies show that the dietetic hygiene aspect has a very significant impact on infertility.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the impact of nutrition on fertility problems?

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would put nutrition and lifestyle at 6 (in more than 50% of cases).

Can you tell us more about this impact?

Infertility syndromes are linked to various problems: polycystic ovaries (PCO), endometriosis, hormonal imbalance, etc. All these factors can be partly corrected with a well-balanced diet and an improved lifestyle: stopping smoking, resuming appropriate physical activity, rebalancing the diet, consuming antioxidants, limiting sugars, processed products and endocrine disruptors, etc.

What diet do you recommend (what to favour, what to avoid)?

First of all, you have to identify the problem, because each pathology requires a specific diet. For example, for PCOS, the diet should be very low in sugar. For endometriosis, you need to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet (no dairy products, no red meat, no gluten), with plenty of antioxidants and omega-3s. In the case of hormonal imbalance, it is essential to return to a healthy weight, as even the slightest weight pain (or weight loss) can lead to hormonal changes (such as a drop in oestrogen production).

Is good nutrition a prerequisite for good fertility?

In my opinion, nutrition is a prerequisite for good fertility. Before any treatment, the diet needs to be adapted in order to determine whether simple dietary measures can remove any obstacles. I had the opportunity to treat a patient who had been taking hormone treatments for months without success. I changed her diet and, within 2 months, she was able to conceive.

What do you think about the use of food supplements for fertility? Do you think that with good nutrition, we can do without them?

In addition to the programmes, I offer my female patients (but also my male patients, as it is possible to optimise sperm production in men), I use food supplements as required. The advantage of phytotherapy or homeopathy is that there are no side-effects compared with conventional medicines. These supplements are often minerals or vitamins and in some cases plants.

Raphael Gruman's website www.lamethodegruman.com