Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle and Associations with Global Endometriosis Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Australian Women
- 1School of Health, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia
- 2School of Allied Health and Human Performance, College of Health, Adelaide University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
- 3Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), College of Health, Adelaide University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has been shown to improve women’s reproductive health. However, there is a lack of evidence on the potential efficacy in attenuating the intensity of global symptoms related to endometriosis. This was a cross-sectional analysis investigating the association between MedDiet (and associated lifestyle) adherence and intensity of global endometriosis symptoms in Australian women. Methods: Adherence to a MedDiet (and associated lifestyle) was assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) and MEDiterranean LIFEstyle Index (MEDLIFE), and the impact of endometriosis symptoms was assessed using the Endometriosis Impact Questionnaire (EIQ-63). Results: A total of n = 103 participants (29.7 ± 8.6 years; BMI: 27.1 ± 6.8 kg/m2) were included in the final analyses. Participants reported moderate MEDLIFE adherence scores (12.1 ± 3.2) and low-to-moderate adherence to a MedDiet (5.6 ± 2.0). Few participants achieved normative serve size criteria for core dietary constituents of a MedDiet, including legumes (n = 14, 16.7%), fruit (n = 11, 13.1%), fish and seafood (n = 9, 10.7%), nuts (n = 15, 17.9%) and olive oil (n = 2, 2.4%). MEDLIFE index or MEDAS adherence were not associated with global impact symptoms of endometriosis. Conclusions: Despite the null findings, these results provide an important contribution to the existing literature, highlighting the importance of diet quality on women’s health more broadly. Exploration of these findings using well-controlled longitudinal analyses and robust clinical trials is needed to discover causal relationships.
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BibTeX
@article{harris2026adherence,
title = {{Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle and Associations with Global Endometriosis Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Australian Women}},
author = {Courtney Harris and Anthony Villani and Nicole Scannell and Nina A. Wilson and Evangeline Mantzioris},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/nu18213544},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3544},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle and Associations with Global Endometriosis Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Australian Women
AU - Courtney Harris
AU - Anthony Villani
AU - Nicole Scannell
AU - Nina A. Wilson
AU - Evangeline Mantzioris
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Nutrients
DO - 10.3390/nu18213544
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3544
AB - Background/Objectives: Adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has been shown to improve women’s reproductive health. However, there is a lack of evidence on the potential efficacy in attenuating the intensity of global symptoms related to endometriosis. This was a cross-sectional analysis investigating the association between MedDiet (and associated lifestyle) adherence and intensity of global endometriosis symptoms in Australian women. Methods: Adherence to a MedDiet (and associated lifestyle) was assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) and MEDiterranean LIFEstyle Index (MEDLIFE), and the impact of endometriosis symptoms was assessed using the Endometriosis Impact Questionnaire (EIQ-63). Results: A total of n = 103 participants (29.7 ± 8.6 years; BMI: 27.1 ± 6.8 kg/m2) were included in the final analyses. Participants reported moderate MEDLIFE adherence scores (12.1 ± 3.2) and low-to-moderate adherence to a MedDiet (5.6 ± 2.0). Few participants achieved normative serve size criteria for core dietary constituents of a MedDiet, including legumes (n = 14, 16.7%), fruit (n = 11, 13.1%), fish and seafood (n = 9, 10.7%), nuts (n = 15, 17.9%) and olive oil (n = 2, 2.4%). MEDLIFE index or MEDAS adherence were not associated with global impact symptoms of endometriosis. Conclusions: Despite the null findings, these results provide an important contribution to the existing literature, highlighting the importance of diet quality on women’s health more broadly. Exploration of these findings using well-controlled longitudinal analyses and robust clinical trials is needed to discover causal relationships.
SN - 2072-6643
ER -