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SWJF: educated, kosher, barren

by Sarah Rose · February 20th, 2007
Health, Judaism, Kosher, News, Rant!

As if there isn’t enough handwringing in the Jewish community over falling birthrates and, not coincidentally, educated women taking too long to marry and reproduce, along comes a reputable study that suggests transfats — the magic ingredient in parve deserts – will make women infertile.

In the study, the researchers analyzed data from 18,555 healthy women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study to see if there was any association between intake of trans fat and infertility. The participants were married and trying to get pregnant between 1991 and 1999.

A woman’s risk of infertility increased by 73 percent for every 2 percent of energy she took from trans fat instead of carbohydrates, the researchers found.

Similarly, the risk of infertility increased by 79 percent for every 2 percent of energy from trans fats instead of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats. The risk more than doubled for every 2 percent of energy from trans fat instead of monounsaturated fat.

[foodconsumer.org]

So what’ll it be, Jack Wertheimer: should we stop getting advanced degrees or stop keeping kosher?

Or just skip desert so we can maintain our girlish figures?

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4 Responses to “SWJF: educated, kosher, barren”

  1. Sarah Rose Says:
    February 20th, 2007 at 1:35 pm

    Oh, and by the way, turns out there’s an Ashkenaz super-fertility gene.

    (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4114486.stm)

  2. Ben Murane Says:
    February 20th, 2007 at 2:41 pm

    Oh my! Never was there a stronger reason for Hazon than this: food really IS destroying us!

    Dear Jack,

    Never before has the Jewish community been threatened from within (our stomachs) than this point in history. At this time, surely no traitor has been more plain than this, our food. It is time to circle the wagons, plan the rallies and return to our roots–all natural, organic and sustainable agriculture.

    Hazon looks forward to your $5 million check next week to help fight this scourge.

    Sincerely,

    Hazon & the new Jewish Food Movement

  3. Sarah Rose Says:
    February 20th, 2007 at 10:01 pm

    Dear Jack,

    My uterus thanks you for your generous $5mln donation in the fight against trans-fat induced Jewish infertility.

  4. lauren ahkiam Says:
    February 22nd, 2007 at 6:46 pm

    i would like to insert a stupid joke about if you avoid trans fats desserts and get pregnant, your figuer won’t be so girlish as motherly :)

    seriously tho, you can replace butter with pumpkin puree or 3/4 apple sauce/ 1/4 olive oil, i.e. no trans fats but dairy free! yay!

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