A Harvard study found that women with the highest consumption of trans fats were 48% more likely to develop endometriosis than those with the lowest consumption.
However eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish, seemed to protect against the disease as these women had a 22% reduced risk of the condition.What's endometriosis?
Endometriosis affects around one in 10 women. It occurs when the lining of the womb grows in the wrong places. It can cause no symptoms at all or severe pain and in some cases infertility.
The study
The study involving over 70,000 women in America, is the largest to look at the link between diet and endometriosis.
Previous research found that eating four grams of trans fat a day can lead to infertility in women.
What are trans fats? Trans fats are liquid oils that have been turned into solids by a process called hydrogenation and are in thousands of pre-prepared foods to give texture and a long shelf life. The fat has also been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. |
Lead author Dr Stacey Missmer, an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive biology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA, said, "This study gives us a strong indication that we’re on the right track in identifying food rich in Omega-3 oils as protective for endometriosis and trans fats as detrimental."
Women in the study filled out food questionnaires every four years between 1989 and 2001 and traced the numbers who went on to develop endometriosis.
The findings
The results showed that while total fat in the diet was not important, the kind of fat women were consuming was linked to the risk of endometriosis.
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