A Narrative Review of the Role of Diet and Lifestyle Factors in the Development and Prevention of Endometrial Cancer

Abstract

Endometrial cancer is the most common cancer affecting the reproductive organs of women living in higher-income countries. Apart from hormonal influences and genetic predisposition, obesity and metabolic syndrome are increasingly recognised as major factors in endometrial cancer risk, due to changes in lifestyle and diet, whereby high glycaemic index and lipid deposition are prevalent. This is especially true in countries where micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals are exchanged for high calorific diets and a sedentary lifestyle. In this review, we will survey the currently known lifestyle factors, dietary requirements and hormonal changes that increase an individual’s risk for endometrial cancer and discuss their relevance for clinical management. We also examine the evidence that everyday factors and clinical interventions have on reducing that risk, such that informed healthy choices can be made. In this narrative review, we thus summarise the dietary and lifestyle factors that promote and prevent the incidence of endometrial cancer.

Ox-LDL-mediated ILF3 overexpression in gastric cancer progression by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway

“…Obesity leads to diseases such as abnormal lipid metabolism and hyperlipidemia [ 59 ], and is an important risk factor for carcinogenesis. Some studies have demonstrated that improvement of blood lipid levels and obesity control reduced the occurrence rate of GC, colorectal cancer, and esophageal cancer [ 60 – 62 ]. Abnormal lipid metabolism triggers a cascade of molecular events to finally cause malignancy.…”

New Trends in the Detection of Gynecological Precancerous Lesions and Early-Stage Cancers

“…There are, however, several prophylactic measures, albeit less specific, that may substitute existing causal preventive procedures. 2 Prophylactic measures in endometrial cancer include healthy lifestyle (physical activity, no smoking, weight loss, fruits, vegetables, and vitamins, reduction of consumption of fat and protein), medical surveillance (obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hyperestrogenism, genetic factors, hormonal preventive therapy) and, if genetically justified, even prophylactic hysterectomy [ 181 , 182 ]. 3 In ovarian cancer, improvement of healthy lifestyle by similar means as in EC can be helpful.…”

Antioxidative, Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Obesogenic, and Antidiabetic Properties of Tea Polyphenols—The Positive Impact of Regular Tea Consumption as an Element of Prophylaxis and Pharmacotherapy Support in Endometrial Cancer

“…It develops from proliferation caused by the stimulation, not balanced by progesterone or other progestogens, of the endometrium by endogenic (similarly to obesity) or exogenic oestrogens (during systemic monotherapy in women with a preserved uterus). Other risk factors relevant to this type of cancer include childlessness, early menarche and late menopause, long-term therapy with drugs from the group of selective oestrogen receptor modulators, diabetes, hypertension, and certain genetic syndromes [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Type 2 endometrial cancer is responsible for the remaining 20% of cases and includes poorly differentiated endometrioid cancers (G3) as well as serous, clear-cell, mucinous, squamous, and other tumours.…”