Endometriosis is one of the most common causes of female
fertility problems. And in the largest study to date on the link
between diet and endometriosis, researchers at Brigham and
Women's Hospital in Boston have found that fats in a woman's
diet play a deciding role in whether or not she will develop the
condition. Published online March 24, 2010, in the journal Human
Reproduction, the study of over 70,000 women showed that women
who ate the most trans fats—hydrogenated oils found in fried
foods from restaurants, margarine, and some chips and
crackers—had a 48 percent increased risk of developing
endometriosis, compared with those who ate only small amounts of
these "bad fats." On the flip side, women who ate the most
omega-3 oils—"good fats" found in foods like salmon and
tuna—were 22 percent less likely to develop the fertility-
impairing condition. Endometriosis occurs when pieces of uterine
lining (endometrium) grow outside the uterus. Some women
experience no symptoms, but for many, the condition causes