Dietary anti-oxidants for endometriosis

A new study has been published this month reviewing the evidence to date in relation to the use of dietary antioxidant supplementation for pain due to endometriosis in women. This type of study is called a systematic review and meta-analysis. The dietary antioxidant supplements which they looked at including vitamins D, C, E, and A, melatonin, curcumin, omega-3 fatty acids, resveratrol, zinc, copper, chromium, and selenium, separately or in different combinations, on the severity of endometriosis-associated pain symptoms. The symptoms evaluated include dysmenorrhea (painful periods), dyspareunia (painful sex), and chronic pelvic pain in women of reproductive age.

After careful scrutiny only 10 trials were suitable for inclusion in their review.

Their findings suggest that dietary and supplemental antioxidant intake is associated with a notable reduction in dysmenorrhea and chronic pelvic pain. This seemed to be particularly the case for vitamin D and melatonin. However, it did not reveal a significant effect of antioxidant intake on dyspareunia in women with endometriosis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis has several limitations. The small number of included trials makes it difficult to draw a definitive conclusion regarding the effect of antioxidant supplements on dyspareunia in patients with endometriosis; therefore, these results should be interpreted cautiously. In addition, there are not enough trials in the literature to cover all dietary antioxidant supplements that may effectively reduce endometriosis-associated pain symptoms.

Reference

The effect of antioxidant supplementation on dysmenorrhea and endometriosis-associated painful symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Obstet Gynecol Sci. 2024;67(2):186-198.