In the current issue of Newsweek, the cover story about diet and fertility has this subhead: "In a groundbreaking new book, Harvard researchers look at the role of diet, exercise and weight control in fertility. Guarantee: you will be surprised."

Personally, I'd describe the information as "interesting," rather than surprising. (Can I get my money back?) Take the conclusion about carbohydrates, for example:

I understand that this correlation came up in a big, well-designed study, and that's important. So I don't mean any disrespect to the Harvard researchers when I say this, but who in the world would've thought that eating white bread and washing it down with Mountain Dew was a good idea?

When I was working on The New Rules of Lifting for Women, I was surprised by the links between diet, exercise, and reproductive hormones. When a woman is exercising in a serious way -- training for a sport, for example -- a change in her menstrual cycle is a pretty good indication that there's something wrong. Usually, it's a mismatch between diet and activity level -- not enough food replacing the energy that's being drained by her workouts.

So, intuitively, it makes sense that a mismatch in the other direction -- too much energy coming in, or the wrong kind -- would affect fertility.

Again, I understand how important it is to quantify what we could guess using intuition and some basic knowledge. I just reserve the right to not be surprised.

Similarly, I wasn't surprised by the conclusion about fat -- trans fats are the only type associated with fertility problems -- but I suspect a lot of other people will find themselves with blown minds when they read this:

So saturated fat and cholesterol aren't linked to fertility problems, and may actually help normalize a woman's reproductive hormones. This, of course, makes perfect sense when you consider that estrogen is a steroid hormone, and all steroid hormones are made from cholesterol. If estrogen is the master hormone affecting a woman's reproductive health, why wouldn't you build a healthy diet around foods rich in saturated fat, which tend to have relatively high amounts of cholesterol?

Unfortunately, animal protein is associated with lower fertility, according to the study. Protein from plant sources -- beans and nuts -- seems to have the opposite effect. Beans really are the magical fruit! (Okay, technically they aren't fruit. But it's hard for kids to find a synonym for flatulence that rhymes with "legume." *)

But then there's another seemingly contradictory finding: Full-fat ice cream and dairy products are linked to improved fertility; low-fat versions reduce it. Once again, there's that link between saturated fat -- found in abundance in dairy products -- and reproductive health.

I confess: Even though I'm not female, I get unusually excited whenever I see a health benefit linked to ice cream. (Or butter, or chocolate ...)

* To my shame, I think I just created one: "Beans, beans, the magical legume. The more you eat, the faster you clear the room."

Wednesday blog meat

• From good news to bad: Obesity can have tragic consequences for pregnant women. (Hat tip: Rannoch Donald.)
• Here's a fascinating explanation of why flu viruses thrive in cold, dry weather. Conversely, they can barely survive in the tropics. When's the last time you saw a health benefit linked to humidity?
• My wife was excited to learn that Cindy Crawford has stretch marks. Me, not so much.