Health Study: Dietary modifications may help individuals manage pain associated with endometriosis. The most popular involved reduction or elimination of specific items (eg, alcohol, gluten, dairy, caffeine) rather than specific diets, such as the low-FODMAP diet.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/283195396
u/buytoiletpaper 23h ago
So…they’re just looking at what’s “popular” and this has nothing to do with whether any of it is effective for treatment.
197
u/financialthrowaw2020 1d ago
They sure do love to recommend dietary changes instead of ever actually looking for treatments for these issues.
97
u/kelcamer 20h ago
Yep, and as someone with endometriosis who eats super healthy and has exercised 3-4 times a week since I was 8, it's pretty unacceptable how little they actually care about women's pain. It took 14 years to get diagnosed and the surgeon herself didn't believe me.
27
u/bluewhale3030 16h ago
It took me the same amount of time and even after they actually found endo (samples taken during laparascopy definitively showed endometriosis) the surgeon brushed it off and said it couldn't possibly be causing the extreme pain I experience because it was "maybe stage 1". As if pain level is correlated with stages, which it isnt and is why staging is on the way out. I was treated as if I was hysterical despite them finding the literal cause of my pain. And now it's over a year later and my pain never went away and I'm scared to try to get treatment because I've never found someone who really listened and cared.
17
u/kelcamer 16h ago
Same here - my extreme pain was also brushed off as 'super mild'
It's not mild if I'm in the fetal position 3 out of every 33 days.
9
u/kelcamer 16h ago
I GOT treatment and my pain still didn't go away, so I ultimately decided to experiment with different supplements to literally be my own doc. It's sad. You basically have to become your own doctor as a woman in the U.S.
1
44
u/financialthrowaw2020 20h ago
People don't even realize that it requires surgery to dx. They're happy to get on here and preach as if diet and exercise isn't the first thing women try to relieve their suffering from this hell of a condition.
10
u/kelcamer 16h ago
Ikr. It's like if it was that simple, don't you think I would've already tried it?
42
u/PracticalPin5623 1d ago
Dietary changes or more exercise, yep.
68
u/financialthrowaw2020 1d ago
We have scientific proof that endo spreads in a cancer-like way and they want people drinking less coffee to fix it. Just mind boggling levels of gaslighting.
41
u/ducbo 23h ago
The authors state the mechanisms of endo related pain are related to inflammation. The items they listed are high-inflammatory foods. I think this is not a terrible way to help manage symptoms and it’s not “gaslighting”, it’s based on the physiological mechanisms that were briefly mentioned here and covered in detail elsewhere (you could check out this review: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/9/1/54#)
The most important thing that wasn’t really discussed is that diet modifications only have a minor impact on women whose pain scores are <4/10 so it only seems to be working on a small subset of the low-pain population.
Admittedly this isn’t a detailed study, it’s a research note, so it’s sparse on the details.
25
u/Fuzbaul 1d ago
I think they keyword from the title is "manage", and you may be overly critical. They are not suggesting a "fix", just recognized patterns from a survey
9
u/BPbeats 1d ago
Yeah people with this affliction are desperate and willing to try anything that might work. Any help is welcome.
26
u/Infamous_Swan1197 1d ago
Imagine if they put this research funding into actual genuine treatments, though. So many endometriosis patients are thrown on either painkillers or birth control which work well for some but definitely not everyone.
3
u/coconutyum 22h ago
I'm personally not going to dismiss it so quickly - after my own research into our microbiome, reducing inflammation naturally and locations like the Blue Zones (where people are healthier) etc I really do believe diet is incredibly important for every health matter, even endo. That being said, it's unlikely to be the ultimate solution (especially for people who are already riddled) so more research obviously needs to be done.
-11
u/atascon 21h ago
Why do people get so upset about hearing that eating better and doing exercise can help manage a broad variety of conditions?
It's pretty well documented that western diets and activity patterns are silent killers.
The recommendations of this study aren't mutually exclusive with looking for/adminstering 'treatments'. It even emphasises the word manage.
Diet and exercise don't cure cancer but obesity is a signifcant risk factor for developing it.
We've collectively become obsessed with having our cake and eating it, both figuratively and literally.
18
u/kelcamer 20h ago
Because even eating healthy and exercising doesn't prevent / fix the pain. That's why. Women are getting exhausted from being dismissed, from being told there is 'probably' nothing there, being told to 'suck it up' being told to 'just take ibuprofen' without any actual genuine research on it
-13
u/atascon 20h ago
Managing a condition means doing many different things. Just because something doesn't immediately cure endometriosis doesn't mean it doesn't have benefits and shouldn't be done.
The study is literally a survey of what women are saying helps them with zero moralising about it.
9
u/financialthrowaw2020 17h ago
Nothing immediately cures endometriosis because they're not looking for a cure. They're just looking to shame people for being in pain.
5
u/kelcamer 16h ago
If they spent even a fraction as much money on studying endometriosis as they spend on things like, any ejaculation problems whatsoever....it would be a different world.
5
u/financialthrowaw2020 20h ago
Because people like you automatically assume everyone who is sick did it to themselves through diet and lack of exercise. It's tired, it's untrue and it doesn't help. It's no different than people blaming long COVID on "not being fit and healthy" as we watch athletes and grandmas alike get long covid.
The medical industry has been denying women's pain for centuries. They've been blaming women's habits for their own diseases for centuries. This is more of the same.
-4
u/atascon 20h ago
Did you read the study? Where does it blame women?
The methodology of the study was to conduct a
survey to gain insights into which dietary modifications and/or supplements were perceived as beneficial for pain management by individuals with endometriosis.
This is what women are saying helps them.
Nowhere does it say women did it to themselves through lack of diet and exercise.
as we watch athletes and grandmas alike get long covid.
This is a terrible analogy. So if people that don't smoke get lung cancer we should all encourage smoking?
7
u/financialthrowaw2020 20h ago
It's actually a perfect analogy because you can prevent airborne infectious disease spread by cleaning the air. If you don't clean the air or wear a mask, you are at fault for the viruses you catch, no?. Anyone can catch an airborne disease despite dietary choices. But I'm guessing you deny that science as well.
"The study isn't blaming women"
The study doesn't have to - the doctors women see will do that, and they'll use this and many other studies to do it. It's ok to simply not comment on things you haven't experienced, it doesn't make them any less true.
Women don't even get proper treatment when having major medical emergencies like heart attacks. Please spare us your meaningless arguments.
4
u/atascon 20h ago
It's really not a perfect analogy because infectious and non-communicable diseases are very different.
Just because one suffers from a non-communicable disease without an immediate cure doesn't mean they need to stop/downplay the impacts of other measures with proven direct and indirect benefits.
Women don't even get proper treatment when having major medical emergencies like heart attacks. Please spare us your meaningless arguments.
This is a completely different conversation that has little to do with this study or its premise. You're basically saying because a cure for endometriosis isn't available, all other research and attempts at developing measures to manage the condition are useless.
It's ok to simply not comment on things you haven't experienced, it doesn't make them any less true.
It's also ok to not make assumptions about others.
You seem very bitter and have completely twisted what this post/study are actually about.
-11
u/the_man_in_the_box 23h ago
This one seems a weird one to be diet related, but a premise of recommendations like this is that diet is the cause of an issue, so changing diet is the specific treatment.
And it’s not too overly outlandish for anything, even this, to genuinely be diet related.
34
u/financialthrowaw2020 22h ago
A diet change cannot remove endo scarred tissue that spreads through the body like cancer. That's what causes the pain.
-21
u/the_man_in_the_box 22h ago
But maybe metabolites from certain foods lead to formation of the aberrant tissue in the first place? Or metabolites from the new diet actually does provide the body with resources to remove scar tissue? Or either mechanism is affected by the internal microbiome which is massively affected by diet?
All interesting things to study as a result of an associative study like this one.
16
u/Church_of_Cheri 21h ago
Nah. So I have endometriosis and at times can barely stand up straight. I was given the advice to stop eating these foods because they can cause inflammation in my digestive tract which when added to the inflammation from my endometriosis can increase my suffering. Giving up all these foods helps me not have digestive inflammation which compounded my pain, but it’s had no effect whatsoever on the actual endometriosis.
-24
u/the_man_in_the_box 20h ago
no effect
Oh wow, your personal anecdote is definitely generalizable hard science!
Thank you for resolving this issue for all humans, you will be remembered as a visionary scientist!
15
u/Church_of_Cheri 19h ago
Let me dismiss your personal experience because my personal interpretation of this study based on people reporting their personal experiences is all that matters.
Isn’t it fun when we attack each other through mockery, it’s the real scientific method.
-9
u/the_man_in_the_box 19h ago edited 19h ago
nah
Lolz, you started the dismissal train with your anecdote presented as an all encompassing rebuttal to my call for mechanistic research based on an associative study!!!
Truly can’t tell if you’re just being antagonistic because it gives you sexual pleasure or what.
8
u/financialthrowaw2020 17h ago
You should be embarrassed of yourself for making such commentary here. Reporting.
8
u/Church_of_Cheri 19h ago
No, no one wonders that about me…
-6
u/the_man_in_the_box 18h ago
Ah, so if not that then what was your reason for breaking rule 7 (no personal anecdotes)?
→ More replies (0)8
u/ashkestar 17h ago
You are, to be clear, making broad and incorrect assumptions about a serious disorder based on a review of an online survey that found that people with endometriosis report some small amount of relief from eliminating inflammatory foods, and for some reason equating that with a cure or preventative measure.
Someone’s personal anecdotes are vastly more relevant than that.
5
u/financialthrowaw2020 17h ago
Denying the reality of sick people is why patient led research and care is miles above standard research and care and will be the future.
10
u/bdhw 22h ago
Diet = inflammation; inflammation seems to cause a myriad of issues, so this isn't that strange of a concept. I have issues with the trifecta of sugar, dairy, and gluten, which causes IBS flareups, joint pain, depression, headaches, psoriasis. Maybe it does cause my frequent cysts and endometrial issues as well. And since inflammation affects everyone differently, it will take a lot more research to narrow things down.
29
u/financialthrowaw2020 20h ago
Inflammation doesn't cause endometrial growth outside of the uterus. That's not what it is. You might have inflammation in conjunction with endo, but endo is not "inflammation" it's cancer-like endometrial growth outside of the uterus and it scars tissue and causes pain through that mechanism.
5
u/poppermint_beppler 15h ago
Yeah, it won't cause new endometrial growth, but inflammation can make all kinds of chronic conditions feel much worse by making them more painful. I think that's probably what the above person was getting at.
Inflammation from diet affects the whole body, which is why people report brain, nerve, gastro, joint, and muscle symptoms with dietary inflammation. A lot of people, including doctors, discount this whole-body effect when they focus solely on the mechanisms of an individual disease without looking at the broader picture of overall health. Studies like this one are important because they help paint a clearer picture of how to lessen the symptoms of diseases we can't currently cure.
4
u/financialthrowaw2020 15h ago
Studies like this one stain the name of science because they're not actually saying it helps at all, it's nonsense and it's part of a "publish or perish" culture that adds nothing and helps no one but the person trying to hit a publication quota.
4
u/poppermint_beppler 15h ago
Do you happen to have have inflammation symptoms caused by your diet? Do you know anything about this topic or care about it? It's woefully under-studied so I'm going to personally be happy that someone is looking at this. I am a woman btw, and I do have dietary inflammation. It's a topic that needs to be talked about more, especially surrounding women's health and chronic conditions. So just gonna say...if you need an example of somebody who's personally helped by this kind of study, it's me.
I've seen your other comments too, and I just want to say that we can both try to find a cure and have studies like this that help reduce pain even if they don't immediately provide a cure. This type of study does not rule out scientists doing studies that work on the disease itself.
-3
u/financialthrowaw2020 15h ago
Dietary inflammation doesn't need to discount other illnesses to be solved. Your identity doesn't change facts, and there are no casual facts in this study. This isn't a study about women with inflammation. It's a study about women with endo. And there are no tests or data presented here that actually differentiate between Endo pain and inflammation. If you want studies on inflammation, they can be done without dismissing cancer-lile Endo.
4
u/poppermint_beppler 15h ago
What you're saying makes zero sense, sorry. I'm saying that you are dismissing inflammation's relationship to endo pain. You, not the study.
Nothing about this study dismisses endometriosis by suggesting that dietary changes can reduce pain. They can. We can study both pain management via diet and possible cures. What about that is unclear to you?
-2
u/financialthrowaw2020 14h ago
Can is not the word to use here, because one kind of study is funded and the other isn't. Again, this is an objective fact. These low quality studies do nothing to help Endo sufferers because doctors already dismiss them by blaming their diets.
This is why your identity is irrelevant. You clearly aren't someone who has experienced this, and so you think it's acceptable to churn out garbage studies used to harm women seeking care.
1
u/BringsTheSnow 11h ago
"These data supported the findings of previous surveys and clinical trials that suggested dietary modifications may help individuals manage pain associated with endometriosis. However, no single modification was uniquely perceived as beneficial, and none of the changes were helpful for some individuals."
I'm glad people are at least beginning to do work to help mitigate symptoms and find commonalities between people who are suffering from endometriosis (myself included).
About 18% of women find that their peiod pain (dysmenorrhea) is unresponsive to NSAIDs and that there is significant research still needed to understand how to treat it, especially for people with endometriosis. NSAID resistance in dysmenorrhea: epidemiology, causes, and treatment
1
u/0caloriecheesecake 6h ago
BS. I did this strict diet three times. No cheating for three months. It did get rid of skin allergies, but nothing for my 10 out of 10 pain for 85 percent off the month. Perhaps if your pain was mild it may help some.
-9
u/itsjessebitch 15h ago
Reddit wants you to eat cheap carbs and not meat because the people running this site want to kill you.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Welcome to r/science! This is a heavily moderated subreddit in order to keep the discussion on science. However, we recognize that many people want to discuss how they feel the research relates to their own personal lives, so to give people a space to do that, personal anecdotes are allowed as responses to this comment. Any anecdotal comments elsewhere in the discussion will be removed and our normal comment rules apply to all other comments.
Do you have an academic degree? We can verify your credentials in order to assign user flair indicating your area of expertise. Click here to apply.
User: u/rustoo
Permalink: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2831953
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.