And that also includes nutrients. This is one major reason that consuming a varied, fresh, whole and organic foods diet is the foundation of optimal health and fertility.
Lily Nichols explains this very well:
Nutrients don’t work in isolation. Many (or most) depend directly or indirectly on other nutrients to function optimally.
Let me give you a few examples of this interconnectedness (which can be easily forgotten when you focus only on the sole benefits of a single nutrient):
Choline enhances DHA delivery across the placenta and incorporation into the fetal brain and eyes. Vitamin K2 assists in calcium and mineral deposition into the bones and teeth (versus soft tissues, where they don’t belong). Vitamin E helps prevent the oxidation of delicate fats, such as DHA and EPA (omega-3 fats). Multiple nutrients support iron metabolism: vitamin A (as retinol), vitamin B12, copper, folate, riboflavin & many more. Zinc is a co-factor for the enzyme responsible for absorption of the folate found naturally in whole foods. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a co-factor for the MTHFR enzyme (i.e. it’s crucial for folate metabolism). Vitamin C supports collagen production (alongside a slew of other nutrients + amino acids, of course). Magnesium, boron, retinol, K2, and so many more are required for proper vitamin D metabolism. Literally ALL of the fat-soluble vitamins work in synergy in too many ways to list.
Focusing on a single nutrient has its place, but it can also mislead us, especially when we ignore the bigger picture. I often come across posts that twist a particular synergy into an extreme stance — for example, implying that because nutrients interact with one another, supplementation is never helpful. While I’ll forever teach about the benefits of nutrient-dense food and encourage you to get as many nutrients as you can from food sources, sweeping statements like that just aren’t true. Nutrition is a field in which “the more you know, the less you know,” which is why I find it such a challenge to put out super short form content. Just about everything needs a bit of extra context to hold true and there’s often exceptions to the “rules.”
I couldn’t agree more with Lily – there is no one-size fits all and there are no single concept answers to issues relating to nutrition and health.
Because so many nutrients work in tandem, this is one major reason that taking a comprehensive prenatal vitamin makes a lot of sense — assuming you’re taking one that was carefully formulated. It’s both cost effective to take one product that has 20+ nutrients all together (vs. supplementing each one individually), but it’s safer. There truly can be “too much of a good thing” with some nutrients, so compiling a number of single nutrient supplements can be risky if the dose is too high. If you’re curious which high-quality prenatal vitamins I recommend, let’s have a chat. Unfortunately, due to TGA guidelines, as a qualified naturopath I am not permitted to recommend specific products outside a clinical consultation. So what I do recommend is that you have a chat with me or your local qualified naturopath who is trained in reproductive health.
Remember that all these recommendations also apply to the father.
