Do dietary intakes influence the rate of decline in anti-Mullerian hormone among eumenorrheic women? A population-based prospective investigation

BACKGROUND: Dietary intakes are suggested to affect age at menopause but associations between dietary factors and ovarian reserve reduction have not yet been investigated. We aimed to examine dietary intakes in relation to the rate of decline in anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), an indicator of ovarian reserve, in a generally healthy cohort of women. METHODS: This prospective investigation was conducted among 227 eumenorrheic women, aged 20–50 years, from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose study, who were followed over a mean of 16 years. AMH was measured twice, at baseline and the 5th follow-up examination cycle, and yearly rate of decline in AMH was calculated. Rapid decline in AMH was defined as the annual percent change AMH > 5.9%/year based on tertile 3 of the variable. Average usual dietary intakes were estimated using the food frequency questionnaires administered at the second, third, and the fourth follow-up examinations. After adjusting for potential covariates, the association between dietary factors and both risk of rapid decline in AMH and also annual percent decline of AMH (as a continuous variable) were examined using logistic regression and the Spearman correlation, respectively. RESULTS: The baseline age of the participants and the median rate of decline in AMH were 37.2 years and was 5.7% yearly, respectively. The odds of rapid decline in AMH was reduced by 47% for dairy products (95% CIs = 0.36, 0.79; p = 0.002), 38% for milk (95% CIs = 0.41, 0.93; p = 0.020), and 36% for fermented dairy (95% CIs = 0.45, 0.93, p = 0.018) per one standard deviation (SD) increase in their dietary intakes. The odds of rapid decline in AMH was significantly reduced with higher intakes of fat, carbohydrate, protein, and calcium intakes from dairy sources, lactose and galactose. Annual rate of AMH decline was inversely correlated with dairy products, milk, fermented dairy, fruits, dairy carbohydrate, dairy fat, dairy protein, total calcium and dairy calcium, lactose and galactose, and positively correlated with organ meats. CONCLUSION: Dairy foods consumption may reduce the rate of AMH decline in regularly menstruating women. Life style modification in terms of dietary advice may be considered as a preventive strategy for reduction in the rate of ovarian reserve loss.