Endometriosis: Nutritional Considerations

The following factors have been shown in epidemiologic studies to be associated with a reduced risk of endometriosis:

• A high-fiber, plant-based diet: Although research on the effectiveness of dietary approaches is limited, several lines of evidence support the use of plant-based diets.
  
  First, red meat may be a risk factor for endometriosis, while fruit and vegetable intake is protective. Women who eat at least seven servings of red meat per week appear to have twice the risk of endometriosis compared with those who eat fewer than three servings. Women who eat 13 or more servings per week of green vegetables have a 70 percent lower risk of endometriosis compared with those who eat fewer than six servings. And those who eat 14 or more servings of fruit per week had a 20 percent lower risk compared with women who eat fewer than six servings.
  
  Second, women with higher fiber intake and lower intake of fatty foods have reduced estrogen activity, a change that is likely to prove beneficial in patients with endometriosis. In a controlled research study of women with typical menstrual pain (not endometriosis), a low-fat vegan diet reduced both the duration and severity of pain. It has been suggested that such a diet is likely to be beneficial for endometriosis as well, but it has not been clinically tested.
• Avoiding alcohol: Compared with healthy women and women with other gynecological problems, women who drink alcohol appear to have a greater prevalence of endometriosis. In women with infertility, the risk of endometriosis was 50 percent higher in individuals who drank alcohol compared with those who did not.