Uterine fibroids linked to higher heart disease risk
By naturopath Margaret Jasinska
Recent figures from a large US population based study have discovered uterine fibroids are a sign of increased atherosclerotic heart disease, especially if they occur in women younger than 40 years.
The results showed women with fibroids had a higher risk of coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), and peripheral artery disease in 10 years compared to those who didn’t have fibroids.
The analysis was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association and involved 450,177 women with fibroids and 2,250,885 women without fibroids between the years 2000 and 2022. More than 2.7 million women were assessed, with a mean age of 41 years. None of them had atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at the start of the study.
After 1 year, women with fibroids had a 2.47 fold higher risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (plaque on arteries) than women without fibroids. After 10 years, the increased risk was 5.42 percent among women with fibroids versus 3.00 percent in healthy controls.
What are uterine fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths that can occur in or on the uterus. They can develop in women during their childbearing years. Fibroids can grow on the outside of the uterus, or inwards into the uterine cavity. Some can even develop a stalk and be called pedunculated fibroids. They are very common, especially in women over 35 where it is reported that between 20 to 40 percent have uterine fibroids of significant size. Fibroids are sensitive to the effects of estrogen and will generally continue to slowly grow up until the time of menopause, following which fibroids will normally shrink.
How are fibroids related to heart disease?
The following factors raise the risk of uterine fibroids:
- Obesity
- Insulin resistance
- Early age of the start of menstruation
- Late age of menopause
- High alcohol intake
- High intake of dairy products and sugar
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Poor liver health, resulting in poor breakdown and excretion of oestrogen
- Constipation, leading to recirculation of oestrogen
- Progesterone deficiency
Insulin can promote growth of fibroids as well as heart disease
Insulin resistance is also known as pre-diabetes. People with insulin resistance produce above normal levels of the hormone insulin. There are many problems that result from this; one is that insulin is a growth promoting hormone. Having above normal levels in your bloodstream encourages the growth of lumps and bumps such as fibroids, polyps and acne. High levels of insulin also encourage deposition of fat and plaque on artery walls.
Natural ways to manage uterine fibroids
Reduce foods and drinks in your diet that raise inflammation. That’s mainly sugar, high carbohydrate foods, alcohol, grains and artificial food additives. It’s best to base your diet on animal protein such as poultry, seafood, eggs and meat, along with lots of vegetables. Nuts, seeds and spices contain small amounts of phyto-estrogens, which help reduce the growth-promoting effects of you body’s own oestrogen.
Try to keep your weight in the healthy range, especially try not to be overweight around your torso. Excess body fat places a strain on your liver and increases the changes it will become fatty and a poor detoxifier. Follow the easy guidelines in the book I Can’t Lose Weight and I Don’t Know Why.
Insufficient progesterone production is a major problem in modern society. Women over the age of 35 natural don’t produce as much progesterone anymore and this is why their fertility declines. If you have stress in your life, your progesterone production will suffer. Progesterone helps to balance the growth-stimulating effects of oestrogen. Bio-identical progesterone is very helpful for fibroids. It requires a doctor’s prescription. Call our office on 02 4655 4666 if you’d like more information.
Being low in vitamin D worsens lumps and bumps in the body such as fibroids, polyps and cysts. For many people it’s not possible or safe to be outside in the sun often enough to produce sufficient vitamin D. Ask your doctor for a vitamin D blood test to check if you have adequate levels in your body.
For more information about keeping your heart healthy see the book Cholesterol: The Real Truth.
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