Diet taboos for ovarian cysts

Currently, there are no foods that patients with ovarian cysts should absolutely avoid clinically, but it is generally recommended to limit the intake of three types of foods that are high in added sugar, high in saturated fat, and containing exogenous estrogen. The specific contraindications should be judged based on the type of cyst and personal constitution. There is no one-size-fits-all list.

I just met a 26-year-old girl in the clinic last month. A 3cm corpus luteum cyst was found during a physical examination. After searching on the Internet, she didn’t even dare to drink soy milk or touch cakes and milk tea. She lost 4 pounds in half a month. During the reexamination, the cyst had long since disappeared. I was still scared. I told her at that time that there was no need to be so nervous.

In fact, most physiological luteal cysts and follicular cysts are transient problems caused by hormone fluctuations during ovulation and luteal phase. They will disappear on their own in two to three months. There is no need to stop eating this or that. At most, don’t eat too many ice drinks before and after menstruation to avoid stimulating uterine contractions and aggravating dysmenorrhea, or increasing the pressure of the luteal corpus and causing the risk of rupture. If you usually like to eat spicy hot pot, it will have no effect at all if you eat it once in a while.

The main ones that require more attention to diet are pathological cysts, such as the most common chocolate cyst (endometriosis cyst), which is highly correlated with estrogen levels. At this time, things containing exogenous hormones should be avoided as much as possible. Two years ago, I met a 30-year-old patient with cystic cysts. He was recovering well after the surgery. In order to fight against aging, he secretly took Internet-famous anti-sugar pills for half a year. During the reexamination, the cyst recurred by 3cm. When the anti-sugar pill was tested, the estrogen content was several times higher than the standard value. Fortunately, he was discovered early, otherwise he would suffer a second crime. There are also those Sanwu whitening pills, health care products for middle-aged and elderly people that claim to be able to "reverse growth", and "ovary maintenance" dietary powders sold in WeChat Moments. Many of them secretly add estrogen. Regardless of whether there are cysts, don't eat them blindly.

Speaking of this, someone must ask: Can soy milk, tofu and other soy products containing phytoestrogens be eaten? This is also a controversial point in the industry. Research on Western medicine has long proven that soy isoflavones are two-way regulated. If the estrogen in your body is high, it can help reduce the affinity. If it is low, it can also help fill the gap. Normally, drinking a cup of soy milk and eating a few pieces of tofu every day will not stimulate the growth of cysts at all. ； However, the view of traditional Chinese medicine is that ingredients such as soybeans and black beans tend to be cold. If you have a cold constitution and often suffer from cold sweats, and your hands and feet are always cold, then you should drink less iced soy milk, and try to drink it hot. The amount should not be too large. There is no conflict between the two views. You can choose according to your own physical feelings. There is no need to choose a side.

Let’s talk about the issue of high sugar and high fat. It’s not that you can’t touch a bite of cake or a bite of braised sausage. It’s just that you shouldn’t eat these as food for a long time. I have seen many girls drinking milk tea as water, one cup or even two cups a day. Their body fat rate is high, their hormone levels are already disordered, and they have no dietary restrictions when cysts are found. Physiological cysts that were supposed to disappear on their own have continued to grow for half a year. In the end, they had to undergo surgery. It is really a pity. A long-term diet high in oil and sugar will affect lipid metabolism and sugar metabolism, thereby disrupting the hormone balance of the whole body. Whether there are cysts or not, it is not good for the body. A little control will not hurt.

There is another question that people often ask: Can I eat spicy food? In fact, Western medicine does not have this taboo at all. If you don’t have uncomfortable reactions such as stomachache or acne after eating spicy food, you can definitely eat it. It’s just that some Chinese medicine practitioners will recommend that patients with a damp-heat constitution and who are prone to recurrent gynecological inflammation eat less spicy food to avoid aggravating the inflammatory reaction. Again, your body’s feeling is the best criterion. Eat if you feel fine after eating, and touch less if you feel uncomfortable after eating.

I have been practicing clinical gynecology for almost ten years. In fact, I have seen too many patients who take dietary taboos too seriously, which results in anxiety and insomnia, more chaotic endocrine disorders, and slower healing of cysts. To put it bluntly, diet is only a part of auxiliary adjustment, and regular review is the most critical. Physiological cysts are mostly left alone. Pathological cysts should be treated with medication and surgery. Don’t embarrass yourself by staring at the food list every day. Eat well, drink well, and be in a good mood, which is better than anything else.