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  3. Gut microbiota: the link between diet and endometriosis!
The power of your gut

Gut microbiota: the link between diet and endometriosis!

Endometriosis
The gut microbiota The vaginal microbiota Women disorders Diet

Does a high-fat/low-fiber diet aggravate endometriosis? A recent study in mice suggests so, also indicating a protective role for gut bacterium A. muciniphila. 1

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About this article

Created 28 February 2025
Updated 10 March 2025

Endometriosis is a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus – which is eliminated during menstruation – begins to colonize places where it does not belong (ovaries, peritoneum, etc.). This results in pain, complicated periods, digestive problems, and sometimes even infertility. Endometriosis affects around 10% of women of childbearing age.

We already know that diet can play a role in inflammation: a balanced diet appears to help reduce pain. But a team of researchers wanted to see what the opposite would do, i.e. a typically Western diet, high in fat and low in fiber. To this end, they used mice as… guinea pigs.

10% Endometriosis affects roughly 10% (190 million) of reproductive age women and girls globally. ²

Western diet results in lesions twice as large

The mice were fed either a “normal” rodent diet (17% fat) or a fast-food diet (45% fat, low in fiber) for four weeks. Endometriosis was then surgically induced and changes in the lesions were monitored over seven weeks. The result? The mice on a Western diet developed lesions twice as large as the control mice. Not only were the lesions larger, but they were also more fibrous and full of cells in maximum proliferation mode.

03.10.2023 A bacterium to blame for endometriosis? Read more

Metabolism and immunity: when everything goes too far

What causes this? The fast-food diet appears to disrupt metabolism and immunity:

  • it boosts the activity of macrophages (immune cells which here seem more harmful than beneficial)
  • it activates leptin, a hormone involved in the growth of lesions and glucose metabolism
  • it accelerates the oxidation of glucose, which acts as fuel for the lesions

But what about the microbiota?

The study also showed that endometriosis alters the gut flora of mice, regardless of their diet. But in mice on a Western diet, one particular bacterium, Akkermansia muciniphila, known for its anti-inflammatory effects, partially disappears when endometriosis is induced. The disease may thus create an imbalance in the gut microbiota by ousting protective bacteria.

What now?

Since the study was conducted on mice, rather than humans, the results remain preliminary. However, it has confirmed that diet has a major impact on endometriosis and that a healthier diet may limit pain and the progression of the disease. The gut microbiota also plays a key role in the pathophysiology of endometriosis, while certain bacteria such as Akkermansia muciniphila may have a protective effect.

This discovery paves the way for new therapeutic approaches based on modulation of the microbiota. Without saying goodbye forever to French fries, what about adding a few vegetables to your meal to give your good bacteria a helping hand.

Endometriosis and microbiota: is there a link?

Learn more
Sources

1. Parpex G, Chassaing B, Bourdon M et al. Western diet promotes endometriotic lesion growth in mice and induces depletion of Akkermansia muciniphila in intestinal microbiota. BMC Med. 2024 Nov 6;22(1):513.

2. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis

Tags
Microbiome Flora Endometriosis Women health Gut microbiota Vaginal microbiota Western diet Diet

    See also

    When bacteria signal the presence of endometriosis
    Periods and endometriosis: what is the role of the microbiota? Periods and endometriosis: what is the role of the microbiota?
    Created 28 February 2025
    Updated 10 March 2025

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