Contrary to popular belief, antioxidants do not increase a woman's chances of becoming pregnant, according to a new report published in The Cochrane Library.
With some 25 percent of couples struggling to conceive, many are turning to dietary supplements, including known antioxidants, according to the study's authors. However, the supplement market is largely unregulated with limited information regarding potential harm and side effects available to consumers.
For this reason, the team of researchers, led by Marian Showell of the University of Auckland, analyzed data from 28 randomized trials involving over 3,500 women attending fertility clinics in which some received antioxidant supplements, others placebos and still others simply standard treatment.
In the end, the results were disappointing for those looking to expand their family through these alternative routes.
"There is no evidence in this review that suggests taking an antioxidant is beneficial for women who are trying to conceive," Showell said in a press release.
Still, women taking the supplements did not appear to experience any adverse effects when compared to those receiving placebos or standard treatment, either, according to the results.
In the end, the researchers note that the quality of evidence in the trials was "very low to low" since the number of different antioxidants examined made it difficult to derive comparisons.
"We could not assess whether one antioxidant was better than another," Showell said.
According to the Medical News Today, the antioxidants involved in the study included: