New research shows diet can reduce endometriosis pain

You may have heard about some new UK research about diet and endometriosis pain. Any new research on endometriosis and diet is exciting, particularly when it is UK based and has a good sample size.

This survey of people with endometriosis asked about whether they had tried any particular diet strategies and whether this had made a difference to their pain levels. The good news is that a number of different things had worked in reducing pain for some people.

Some of the key findings were:

• 53% of people found their pain improved by reducing alcohol

We know that alcohol can irritate the gut and bladder lining, so can make bloating, IBS, bladder irritation and pain worse. Alcohol can also exacerbate hormone imbalances and of course, hormone imbalance is one of the factors that drives endometriosis.

• 45% of people found pain improves by reducing gluten

There’s been research previously showing the impact that reducing gluten can have on reducing endometriosis pain, so it’s good to get more evidence to support this. Previous research has also shown that people with endometriosis are often more sensitive to gluten. Gluten intake can cause an immune system response, which then increases inflammation and so pain.

• 45% of people found pain improved by reducing dairy.

Dairy can also increase inflammation as well as introducing external hormones into the body, which can upset hormone imbalances.

• 43% of people found pain improved by reducing caffeine

As well as caffeine upsetting the bladder and gut lining in those who are sensitive, caffeine also increases cortisol levels in the body. Whilst an initial cortisol boost in the morning can help with getting up and focused, too much cortisol can increase inflammation (and so pain).

So, what does this mean for me?

Whilst none of the findings are a surprise, it is helpful to see what particular things worked for people.

What we don’t know is how much people reduced certain foods by and what the results might have been if they had completely taken out certain foods. I know for example when I first started changing my diet to help with my endometriosis systems I reduced my gluten intake, but didn’t completely take it out as I just found it too difficult. However, when I eventually took it out, I noticed much more improvement than just reducing it.

If you’ve been to one of my endo talks, you’ll know I’m not a big fan of overly restrictive diets. I certainly don’t think that on the basis of reading the article you should cut out dairy, gluten, caffeine and alcohol all at once. But depending on what you’ve tried before, and what you’ve noticed from eating certain foods, it might be worth taking one food out for a few weeks and seeing if you notice any difference in pain or bloating.

Need some help?

If you need some help putting this all in place and getting a personalised diet, supplement and lifestyle plan in place to help manage your endometriosis symptoms, then do get in touch to find out how one of my nutrition programmes could help.

Or if you’ve tried diet changes and are not getting the results you want, then book in for a chat. Maybe you need a one off review appointment to see what you’ve already tried and get some ideas for how to take things up to the next level.

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The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this blog  are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this blog. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this blog. Emma Belton Nutrition disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this blog.