A study published in Ginecologia y Obstetricia de Mexico (2006;74[1]:20–28) examined oxidative stress and dietary antioxidant intake in 48 women with endometriosis. The researchers found an inverse relationship between antioxidant intake and disease severity. Women with endometriosis also showed poorer antioxidant status compared with healthy controls.
Additional evidence comes from Family Practice News (March 15, 2004), which reported that supplementation with antioxidants (1,200 IU vitamin E and 1,000 mg vitamin C daily) reduced inflammatory markers in women with endometriosis. Supporting mechanistic data were reported in an animal study published in the International Journal of Fertility (1991;36[1]:39–42), where antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) reduced inflammation and adhesions in areas of endometrial tissue.
There is also evidence linking endometriosis with environmental chemical exposure. Research in Toxicological Sciences (2001;59[1]:147–159) found that animals with higher serum levels of dioxin-like compounds had a higher prevalence and greater severity of endometriosis. Human studies published in Human Reproduction (2005;20[1]:279–285) and Fertility and Sterility (2005;84[2]:305–312) reported associations between endometriosis and body burden of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), particularly those with anti-estrogenic activity.
Together, these findings are consistent with the idea that oxidative stress and environmental chemical exposure may play roles in endometriosis, and that antioxidant status may be relevant to disease severity.
