Nutritional interventions in the management of endometriosis – review of the literature

In: Journal of Education, Health and Sport · 2024 · vol. 52 , pp. 87–97 · doi:10.12775/jehs.2024.52.006 · W4390819018
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This review examines the role of nutritional interventions in managing endometriosis, exploring their potential impact and clinical implications for this chronic inflammatory condition.

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This paper is a literature review examining how nutritional interventions, including diet and specific supplement classes, have been studied for managing endometriosis. It synthesizes evidence from preclinical and clinical studies focused on nutrient-related mechanisms and outcomes, with the review emphasizing compounds such as vitamin D, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidant vitamins, resveratrol, curcumin, quercetin, and zinc, while noting that the underlying body of research includes trials and experimental models. The key finding across the cited literature is that multiple nutritional factors have been investigated with potential links to endometriosis-related biology and symptoms, but the review’s scope and the diversity of study designs are major limitations for drawing unified conclusions. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it reviews the literature on nutritional interventions (diet and supplementation) for endometriosis management.

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Abstract

Endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory condition, affects approximately 10% of women in their reproductive years, impacting around 176 million individuals globally. Characterized by endometrium-like tissue outside the uterine cavity, it leads to symptoms like chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and infertility, severely impairing quality of life. This study aims to investigate the role of nutritional interventions in managing endometriosis, highlighting their potential impact and clinical implications.
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Nutritional interventions in the management of endometriosis – review of the literature DOI: https://doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2024.52.006Keywords endometriosis, diet, supplementation, nutritionAbstract Endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory condition, affects approximately 10% of women in their reproductive years, impacting around 176 million individuals globally. Characterized by endometrium-like tissue outside the uterine cavity, it leads to symptoms like chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and infertility, severely impairing quality of life. This study aims to investigate the role of nutritional interventions in managing endometriosis, highlighting their potential impact and clinical implications. References Taylor HS, Kotlyar AM, Flores VA. Endometriosis is a chronic systemic disease: clinical challenges and novel innovations. Lancet. 2021;397(10276):839-52. Moradi Y, Shams-Beyranvand M, Khateri S, Gharahjeh S, Tehrani S, Varse F, et al. A systematic review on the prevalence of endometriosis in women. Indian J Med Res. 2021;154(3):446-54. Saunders PTK, Horne AW. Endometriosis: Etiology, pathobiology, and therapeutic prospects. Cell. 2021;184(11):2807-24. Wróbel M, Wielgoś M, Laudański P. Diagnostic delay of endometriosis in adults and adolescence-current stage of knowledge. Adv Med Sci. 2022;67(1):148-53. Findeklee S, Radosa JC, Hamza A, Haj Hamoud B, Iordache I, Sklavounos P, et al. Treatment algorithm for women with endometriosis in a certified Endometriosis Unit. Minerva Ginecol. 2020;72(1):43-9. Horne AW, Missmer SA. Pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of endometriosis. Bmj. 2022;379:e070750. Bonavina G, Taylor HS. Endometriosis-associated infertility: From pathophysiology to tailored treatment. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022;13:1020827. Tennfjord MK, Gabrielsen R, Tellum T. Effect of physical activity and exercise on endometriosis-associated symptoms: a systematic review. 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Effects of Vitamin D on Endometriosis-Related Pain: A Double-Blind Clinical Trial. Med Sci Monit. 2016;22:4960-6. Kalaitzopoulos DR, Samartzis N, Daniilidis A, Leeners B, Makieva S, Nirgianakis K, et al. Effects of vitamin D supplementation in endometriosis: a systematic review. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2022;20(1):176. Zhou DD, Luo M, Huang SY, Saimaiti A, Shang A, Gan RY, et al. Effects and Mechanisms of Resveratrol on Aging and Age-Related Diseases. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2021;2021:9932218. Galiniak S, Aebisher D, Bartusik-Aebisher D. Health benefits of resveratrol administration. Acta Biochim Pol. 2019;66(1):13-21. Breuss JM, Atanasov AG, Uhrin P. Resveratrol and Its Effects on the Vascular System. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(7). Arablou T, Delbandi AA, Khodaverdi S, Arefi S, Kolahdouz-Mohammadi R, Heidari S, et al. Resveratrol reduces the expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 and hepatocyte growth factor in stromal cells of women with endometriosis compared with nonendometriotic women. Phytother Res. 2019;33(4):1044-54. Hipólito-Reis M, Neto AC, Neves D. Impact of curcumin, quercetin, or resveratrol on the pathophysiology of endometriosis: A systematic review. Phytother Res. 2022;36(6):2416-33. Kodarahmian M, Amidi F, Moini A, Kashani L, Shabani Nashtaei M, Pazhohan A, et al. The modulating effects of Resveratrol on the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in endometriosis women: a randomized exploratory trial. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2019;35(8):719-26. Kotha RR, Luthria DL. Curcumin: Biological, Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical, and Analytical Aspects. Molecules. 2019;24(16). Vallée A, Lecarpentier Y. Curcumin and Endometriosis. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(7). Cao H, Wei YX, Zhou Q, Zhang Y, Guo XP, Zhang J. Inhibitory effect of curcumin in human endometriosis endometrial cells via downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor. Mol Med Rep. 2017;16(4):5611-7. Kizilay G, Uz YH, Seren G, Ulucam E, Yilmaz A, Cukur Z, et al. In vivo effects of curcumin and deferoxamine in experimental endometriosis. Adv Clin Exp Med. 2017;26(2):207-13. Shahidi F, Ambigaipalan P. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Health Benefits. Annu Rev Food Sci Technol. 2018;9:345-81. Welty FK. Omega-3 fatty acids and cognitive function. Curr Opin Lipidol. 2023;34(1):12-21. Tomio K, Kawana K, Taguchi A, Isobe Y, Iwamoto R, Yamashita A, et al. Omega-3 polyunsaturated Fatty acids suppress the cystic lesion formation of peritoneal endometriosis in transgenic mouse models. PLoS One. 2013;8(9):e73085. Nodler JL, DiVasta AD, Vitonis AF, Karevicius S, Malsch M, Sarda V, et al. Supplementation with vitamin D or ω-3 fatty acids in adolescent girls and young women with endometriosis (SAGE): a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;112(1):229-36. Granger M, Eck P. Dietary Vitamin C in Human Health. Adv Food Nutr Res. 2018;83:281-310. Hoorsan H, Simbar M, Tehrani FR, Fathi F, Mosaffa N, Riazi H, et al. The effectiveness of antioxidant therapy (vitamin C) in an experimentally induced mouse model of ovarian endometriosis. Womens Health (Lond). 2022;18:17455057221096218. Amini L, Chekini R, Nateghi MR, Haghani H, Jamialahmadi T, Sathyapalan T, et al. The Effect of Combined Vitamin C and Vitamin E Supplementation on Oxidative Stress Markers in Women with Endometriosis: A Randomized, Triple-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Pain Res Manag. 2021;2021:5529741. Andres S, Pevny S, Ziegenhagen R, Bakhiya N, Schäfer B, Hirsch-Ernst KI, et al. Safety Aspects of the Use of Quercetin as a Dietary Supplement. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2018;62(1). Deepika, Maurya PK. Health Benefits of Quercetin in Age-Related Diseases. Molecules. 2022;27(8). Shen P, Lin W, Deng X, Ba X, Han L, Chen Z, et al. Potential Implications of Quercetin in Autoimmune Diseases. Front Immunol. 2021;12:689044. Park S, Lim W, Bazer FW, Whang KY, Song G. Quercetin inhibits proliferation of endometriosis regulating cyclin D1 and its target microRNAs in vitro and in vivo. J Nutr Biochem. 2019;63:87-100. Nasiadek M, Stragierowicz J, Klimczak M, Kilanowicz A. The Role of Zinc in Selected Female Reproductive System Disorders. Nutrients. 2020;12(8). Kogan S, Sood A, Garnick MS. Zinc and Wound Healing: A Review of Zinc Physiology and Clinical Applications. Wounds. 2017;29(4):102-6. Messalli EM, Schettino MT, Mainini G, Ercolano S, Fuschillo G, Falcone F, et al. The possible role of zinc in the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis. Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2014;41(5):541-6. Provinciali M, Pierpaoli E, Bartozzi B, Bernardini G. Zinc Induces Apoptosis of Human Melanoma Cells, Increasing Reactive Oxygen Species, p53 and FAS Ligand. Anticancer Res. 2015;35(10):5309-16. Downloads Published How to Cite Issue Section License Copyright (c) 2024 Maja Kotowska, Gabriela Różańska-Smuszkiewicz, Paweł Smuszkiewicz-Różański, Wiktoria Zamirska, Anna Zygmunt, Katarzyna Zięba, Karolina Koszyczarek, Albin Ziemiański This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The periodical offers access to content in the Open Access system under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Stats Number of views and downloads: 682 Number of citations: 0

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endometriosischronic_pelvic_paindysmenorrheainfertility

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