Nutrition Interventions in the Treatment of Endometriosis: A Scoping Review

Background: Pain, poor quality of life (QOL) and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are commonly experienced by individuals with endometriosis. Although diet and nutrition supplements are frequently used to manage endometriosis-related symptoms, there is limited understanding of the breadth and quality of research in this field. Our aim was to undertake a scoping review of diet and nutrition supplement intervention studies in people with endometriosis, diagnosed by ultrasound or surgery.

Methods: MEDLINE Complete, Embase, CINAHL and PsycINFO databases were searched for articles published in English from database inception to November 2024. Quality was assessed by two reviewers independently using the Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tools. In total, 5130 publications were screened and 13 were included.

Results: Among these, five evaluated the effect of diet intervention, one evaluated the effect of a combined diet-supplement intervention and seven evaluated the effect of a nutrition supplement in endometriosis. Overall, there were seven randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (n = 1 diet intervention, n = 6 nutrition supplement), two nonrandomised controlled studies (n = 1 diet intervention, n = 1 combined diet-supplement) and four uncontrolled studies (n = 3 diet intervention, n = 1 nutrition supplement). On the basis of evidence from the RCTs, the low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) diet improved QOL and GI symptoms, whereas garlic supplements and combination trace element supplements may be beneficial for improving reduced pain symptoms related to endometriosis. The quality of most included studies was poor. Adherence to the interventions was only measured in five studies and only one diet study measured baseline diet.

Conclusions: High-quality RCTs of diet and nutrition supplement interventions are needed to progress the understanding of whether they should be integrated into the clinical management of endometriosis.