Omega-3 EPA: a useful therapy against endometriosis
Endometriosis: help from Omega 3 EPA
Taking Omega-3 EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) is a valid therapy against endometriosis. This is shown by a study from Jichi Medical University in Saitama, Japan, published in Fertility and Sterility1. For the study authors, Omega-6 food-derived fats do not have the same therapeutic effect.
Endometriosis and inflammation
Endometriosis is a disease that affects about 10% of women and is associated with high levels of inflammation.Endometriosis is characterized by the growth of certain cells from the wall of the uterus (the endometrium) onto other organs in the abdominal cavity, such as the ovaries orintestines.
These cells during the menstrual cycle respond to the action of hormones, like those found within the uterus, and cause pain accompanied by inflammation.
Surgery, the only road to recovery
Endometriosis can develop at an early age: however, many women discover they have it after the age of 25. A delay in diagnosis can significantly aggravate the disorder, a condition that:
- increases the extent of symptoms;
- goes as far as making conception difficult in some cases.
Taking painkillers provides only temporary relief of pain. The only treatment that can eliminate the disease is surgical removal of abnormally grown cells. Interest in the search for alternative therapies is therefore very high.
Omega-3: new weapon against endometriosis
Japanese researchers evaluated whether Omega-3s could reduce the inflammation associated with this condition. How? Based on the hypothesis that theincreased incidence of endometriosis in the population is associated with improper dietary lipid intake. The studies were conducted in rats. Rodents over 2 weeks received a diet enriched with Omega-3 EPA or Omega-6 LA (linoleic acid). At the end of the cycle, the uterus of each animal was autotransplanted into the abdominal cavity to obtain a model of endometriosis. The researchers then fed the rats for another 4 weeks as in the previous 15 days. The status of the endometrium was analyzed 2 and 4 weeks after autotransplantation. It was thus found that theEPA-rich diet causes a significant increase in Omega-3 compared to Omega-6 in the body. The researchers explain that this increase is associated with a reduction in thethickening of the tissue where the inflammation typical of endometriosis is located, as well as in the expression of certain genes involved in inflammatory processes.
Benefits of Omega-3s against endometriosis
The findings support the hypothesis that Omega-3s could be a valuable aid against endometriosis. In fact, a previous study, also published in Fertility and Sterility2, had revealed that these nutrients reduce the survival of endometrial cells and regulate the function of certain molecules involved in inflammation. Another research has also shown that a diet rich in Omega-3 can help preventendometriosis3.
Source
1. Netsu S, Konno R, Odagiri K, Soma M, Fujiwara H, Suzuki M, "Oral eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation as possible therapy for endometriosis," Fertil Steril. 2008 Oct;90(4 Suppl):1496-502. Epub 2007 Dec 3
2. Gazvani MR, Smith L, Haggarty P, Fowler PA, Templeton A, "High omega-3:omega-6 fatty acid ratios in culture medium reduce endometrial-cell survival in combined endometrial gland and stromal cell cultures from women with and without endometriosis," Fertil Steril. 2001 Oct;76(4):717-22
3. Missmer SA, Chavarro JE, Malspeis S, Bertone-Johnson ER, Hornstein MD, Spiegelman D, Barbieri RL, Willett WC, Hankinson SE, "A prospective study of dietary fat consumption and endometriosis risk," Hum Reprod. 2010 Jun;25(6):1528-35. Epub 2010 Mar 23.
