Endometriosis May Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease: Diet Can Help

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, and up to 11% of women in the United States have endometriosis, a condition that affects reproductive organs. A relationship between the two conditions has been discovered, showing that women with endometriosis may also have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. This connection is attributed to chronic inflammation, physiological and psychological stressors, and side effects related to treatments of the disease, which can result in high blood pressure and cholesterol.
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Certain dietary changes can decrease inflammation, cholesterol, and blood pressure and thus decrease the risk of heart disease. Similar changes may also positively impact the symptoms of endometriosis.
 
EATING PLANT-BASED
 
It has been shown that increasing fiber from plant foods can decrease the risk of stroke and may also decrease inflammation in those with endometriosis.

Sources of fiber include:

• Beans and legumes
• Whole grains
• Leafy green vegetables
• Fruits with edible skin and berries

  
HEART HEALTHY FATS
 
Replacing high sources of saturated fat, like red meat, and refined carbohydrates, like white bread, with unsaturated (healthy) fats may similarly decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and improve symptoms of endometriosis. 

Sources of healthy fats include:

• Nuts and seeds such as flaxseeds, walnuts, almonds, and pecans.
• Olive oil, canola oil, and avocado oil
• Fatty fish, such as salmon
• Avocado

 
Swaps to consider:

• Swapping butter for olive oil in cooking
• Building meals around beans and fish instead of red meat (e.g. try a bean-based chili instead of beef chili)
• Adding one or two colorful fruits or vegetables to each meal (like peppers, berries, or spinach)
• Snacking on nuts instead of chips 

 
Endometriosis cannot be prevented, but dietary management may improve symptoms and decrease the risk of developing chronic diseases, like heart disease.

REFERENCES:
Barnard ND, Holtz DN, Schmidt N, et al. Nutrition in the prevention and treatment of endometriosis: A review. Front Nutr. 2023;10:1089891. 
Diab A, Dastmalchi LN, Gulati M, Michos ED. A Heart-healthy diet for cardiovascular disease prevention: where are we now?. Vasc Health Risk Manag. 2023;19:237-253. 
Li Y, Hruby A, Bernstein AM, et al. Saturated fats compared with unsaturated fats and sources of carbohydrates in relation to risk of coronary heart disease: a prospective cohort study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015;66(14):1538-1548. 
Marchandot B, Curtiaud A, Matsushita K, et al. Endometriosis and cardiovascular disease. Eur Heart J Open. 2022;2:oeac001. 
Marcinkowska A, Górnicka M. The role of dietary fats in the development and treatment of endometriosis. Life (Basel). 2023;13(3):654. 
Missmer SA, Chavarro JE, Malspeis S, et al. A prospective study of dietary fat consumption and endometriosis risk. Hum Reprod. 2010;25(6):1528-1535. 
Mu F, Rich-Edwards J, Rimm EB, Spiegelman D, Missmer SA. Endometriosis and risk of coronary heart disease. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2016;9(3):257-264. 
Preventing heart disease. Harvard T.H. Chan: The Nutrition Source. Last reviewed August 2022.
Visseren FLJ, Mach F, Smulders YM, et al. 2021 ESC Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice. Eur Heart J. 2021;42:3227–3337.
Yu E, Malik VS, Hu FB. Cardiovascular disease prevention by diet modification: JACC health promotion series. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;72(8):914-926.

By Morgan Fries, MS, DTR
MGH Dietetic Intern