The study, by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, underscores the importance of nutrition in fertility, but also suggests what you eat, how much, and when are also critical factors.
 

"The research clearly demonstrates that indeed the amount of calories we consume daily is very important, but the timing as to when we consume them is even more important," said Oren Froy, a nutrition and health specialist at Hebrew University.
 

For the study, Froy and his colleagues examined the impact of meal times on woman with menstrual irregularities due to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which strikes up to 10 percent of women, disrupting their reproductive abilities. They tracked 60 women, who were divided into two groups and were allowed to consume about 1,800 calories a day. The difference between the groups was the timing of their largest meal.
 

One group consumed their largest meal — more than half of their daily calories — at breakfast, while the other at dinner.
 

After 12 weeks, the results — published in the journal Clinical Science — showed improved results for the group that consumed a big breakfast. Glucose levels and insulin resistance decreased by 8 percent, while the "dinner" group showed no changes. Among those in the "breakfast" group, testosterone levels decreased by nearly 50 percent, while the "dinner" group level stayed neutral.
 

In addition, there was a much higher rate of ovulating woman within the "breakfast group" compared to the "dinner" group, showing that eating a hearty breakfast leads to an increase in the level of fertility among woman with PCOS.