The Association Between Nutrition, Obesity, Inflammation, and Endometrial Cancer: A Scoping Review

Tinna Osk Thrastardottir, Viana Jacquline Copeland, Constantina Constantinou

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose of Review: Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy and represents a notorious threat to women’s health worldwide. Endometrial cancer predominantly affects post-menopausal women; yet the prevalence of this disease has been rising also among pre-menopausal women. Poor nutritional habits, inflammation, and obesity may be associated with endometrial cancer (EC) among both pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women and should be further assessed among a wide spectrum of age groups. Recent Findings: This scoping review explores and reports on primary research studies conducted to investigate the impact of nutrition, inflammation, and/or obesity on endometrial cancer risk among both pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women. Using a predefined protocol in compliance with the PRISMA guidelines, a search was conducted on four separate databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, and Google Scholar to investigate the association between nutrition, inflammation, obesity, and endometrial cancer. A total of 4862 articles were identified. Following a full article analysis, 27 articles met the full inclusion criteria and were included in the current review. Findings from the literature support a role of nutrition, obesity, and inflammation in the development of EC. The studies included in the current review supported that plant-based, Mediterranean, or ketogenic diets are associated with a lower risk of EC while there is no association between glycemic index and EC risk. On the other hand, increased BMI is associated with a higher risk of EC and there is a positive association between obesity-related pro-inflammatory biomarkers and increased risk for EC development. Summary: Further research needs to be conducted to gain more insight into the complex interactions between nutrition, obesity, and inflammation and their association with EC development among pre-, peri-, and post- menopausal women with the ultimate goal to improve management and preventive strategies and achieve reduced prevalence of endometrial cancer.

Original languageEnglish
JournalCurrent Nutrition Reports
DOIs
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • BMI
  • Endometrial cancer
  • Inflammation
  • Nutrition
  • Obesity

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Association Between Nutrition, Obesity, Inflammation, and Endometrial Cancer: A Scoping Review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this