Endometriosis is an estrogen-related inflammatory disease characterized by chronic pelvic pain and heavy menstrual periods. Endometriosis is among the most common women's health conditions and affects 10 percent of reproductive-age women. The precise cause of endometriosis is unknown, but genetic, hormonal and lifestyle factors are all under consideration. While there is not one regimen or dietary practice proven to prevent or reverse endometriosis, research into the influence of dietary factors for prevention and management of endometriosis has shed light on the potential for dietary interventions that may help alleviate this condition for some women.
Contaminants
A diet that avoids fish contaminated with certain pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs, and persistent organic pollutants, POPs, may reduce the risk of endometriosis, according to a study published in the February 2011 issue of the journal "Environmental Research." Study authors reported that organic pollutants found in sports fish of the Great Lakes region of the U.S. contain organic pollutants that disrupt the endocrine system and can lead to gynecologic conditions, such as endometriosis. Incidence of endometriosis was found to increased with long-term consumption of sport fish. Endomteriosis was particularly prevalent among women who did not breast-feed, resulting in greater accumulation of the chemicals in their bodies. The researchers concluded that their study results underscore the risk associated with dietary exposure to these pollutants and called for further research to more accurately determine the mechanisms by which these chemicals cause endometriosis in some women.
Genetically Modified Foods
Elimination of genetically modified foods may reduce the incidence and progress of endometriosis, according to a study published in the December 2010 issue of the French journal "Gynecologie, Obstetrique et Fertilite." Evidence shows an increase in the incidence of endometriosis concurrent with the introduction of genetically modified foods since the beginning of the 21st century. The authors suggest that, although these foods have been cleared of any potential for health risk, the pesticides used on them, in combination with proteins specific to these foods that are not found in their nongenetically modified counterparts, may show particular potential for causing endometriosis in susceptible women.
Multiple Dietary Factors
A study published in the "British Journal of Nutrition," February 2011, found that several dietary factors may play an influential role in risk for endometriosis. The researchers evaluated the diets of 284 women, aged 18 to 49, with endometriosis and found that increased fat and dairy consumption were associated with decreased risk for endometriosis. Conversely, increased levels of beta carotene and fruit were associated with higher endometriosis risk. A study on the effects of carotenoids in women's health published in the November 2005 issue of the journal "Oncology Reports" noted decreased levels of carotenoids in women with ovarian cancer and increased levels of carotenoids in women with endometriosis.
Dietary Fat
A long-term study, known as the Nurse's Health Study II, found that trans fats and hydrogenated oils increase risk for endometriosis and fish oil improves symptoms and decreases risk of endometriosis. Total fat consumption was not correlated with increased incidence of endometriosis in this study. However, women in the highest 20 percent of omega-3 fatty acid intake were 22 percent less likely to develop endometriosis compared to women in the lowest 20 percent of omega-3 intake. Those with the highest intake of trans fats showed 48 percent greater incidence of endometriosis. The report was published in the June 2010 issue of the journal "Human Reproduction."
References
- "Gynecologie, Obstetrique et Fertilite"; Hypothetical Link Between Endometriosis and Xenobiotics Associated Genetically Modified Food; A. Aris, et al.; December 2010
- "Environmental Research"; Uterine Leiomyomata in a Cohort of Great Lakes Sport Fish Consumers; A. Lambertino, et al.; February 2011
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; Diet and Risk of Endometriosis in a Population-Based Case-Control Study; B. Trabert, et al.; February 2011
- "Human Reproduction"; A Prospective Study of Dietary Fat Consumption and Endometriosis Risk; S.A. Missmer, et al.; June 2010
- "Oncology Reports"; Identification of Carotenoids in Ovarian Tissue in Women; E. Czeczuga Semeniuk, et al.; November 2005
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: What is Endometriosis?
