Major endometriosis study reveals impact of gluten, coffee, dairy and alcohol

Summary

Dietary changes could reduce the pain of endometriosis for half of those living with the disease, a new study suggests. The largest international survey ever conducted on diet and endometriosis, involving 2,599 people, found 45% of those who stopped eating gluten and 45% of those who cut out dairy reported experiencing an improvement in their pain.When women cut down on coffee or other caffeine in their diet, 43% said their pain was reduced, while 53% of women who cut back on alcohol reported the same.Philippa Saunders, senior author of the study and professor of reproductive steroids at the University of Edinburgh, said: “It really feels like we are on the cusp of something pretty big with understanding how diet affects endometriosis symptoms.“It is so important for women if they feel they can do something for themselves to tackle the pain of endometriosis – that is tremendously empowering.”Endometriosis occurs when cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow in other parts of the body. It affects one in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK.However, there is very little research into the causes of the disease or how to treat it – beyond surgery, which is often only a short-term fix, or managing symptoms through hormonal contraceptives like the pill, which many women dislike because of side effects. It takes an average of almost seven years for women to receive a diagnosis of endometriosis due to lack of awareness about the disease.The new study, led by Edinburgh University and published last week in the American medical Association’s journal JAMA Network Open, asked volunteers about changes to their diet and about dietary supplements used to try to improve their symptoms. Researchers believe that the women who cut out gluten or dairy and reported feeling less pain may have experienced changes in their gut bacteria.Reducing caffeine may work because it can affect sleep, and pain often feels worse when people are tired. Cutting back on alcoholic drinks is...