EP.307/ Antioxidants for Surgery Recovery
I’ve had a couple of clients work with me recently ahead of their very first surgeries. We’ve been doing a lot of prep to ensure that they heal well, have an easy recovery, and to minimise the chances of recurrence or severe recurrence, as much as we possibly can (though of course, there is no guarantee with endo).
As a result, I wanted to do an episode to help you to prep if you have a surgery coming up. Now, there are quite a few strategies I use with clients for this, and I do have a masterclass on surgery which you can purchase if you’re ready to, but I’ve also linked to any free resources I have in the show notes.
Today however, I wanted to focus on three antioxidants to ensure you’re getting ample amounts of pre and post-surgery.
Antioxidants are nutrients that help to reduce inflammation, by preventing an inflammatory reaction in the body called oxidation. They include minerals, vitamins and healthy fats.
Some research has found that people with endo are low in many antioxidants, and numerous studies have found endometriosis patients to have higher levels of oxidative stress (when oxidation is high), with these high levels directly influencing endometriosis growth rate.
So, generally for endo, we want to increase our antioxidant levels and take steps to reduce oxidative stress in our bodies, which includes things like balancing blood sugar, managing stress and eating an anti-inflammatory die, as much as feels reasonably possible.
But how can these three antioxidants help with surgery?
Let’s get into it.
Zinc
The first one we are exploring is zinc. Zinc is a mineral which research has found to be severely lacking in the endo population, and may be linked to the immune dysregulation we see with endo, that allows endo to grow and thrive without our immune system being able to clean it up properly. This is because zinc is absolutely crucial to immune function.
Now, the immune system is key to helping our body heal after surgery. It is responsible, in short, for cleaning up the wound and knitting us back together with new cells and tissues. So, of course, we want it to be working as well as possible.
As part of its role in the immune system, zinc is crucial for wound healing because it helps collagen formation, cell proliferation (which is when cells divide and multiply to make new cells), tissue regeneration and maintaining healthy inflammation levels that are essential in healing and infection prevention.
Zinc is also one of the most researched nutrients show to help minimise period pain, PMS and regulate hormones for better cycles and lower levels of prostaglandins, the key culprits behind endo pain and progression (though, they do not work alone there!).
Zinc is found in many plant foods and animal foods, but unfortunately, it is better absorbed from animal products, though you can get it from plant foods if you’re vegan or veggie.
The richest sources of zinc are:
Organ meats like liver
Red meat, particular beef
Shell fish, especially oysters, which are the highest source of zinc
Turkey
However, oats, pumpkin seeds and lentils are all good sources too, the zinc is just a bit more difficult to absorb, so eating various sources of zinc a day will help you to get the amount you need. Other sources of zinc generally include nuts, seeds, beans and pulses.
Additionally, if you have the energy, soaking and dehydrating nuts and seeds, and soaking wholegrains and beans/lentils, can make it easier to absorb zinc, but during your recovery, unless you have help, this may not be possible. Tinned beans and lentils are good options here, because they’ve been stored in water for a long-time, which actually breaks down their protective coating and helps you to better absorb the nutrients in them, including zinc.
If you’re concerned about red meat or organ meat consumption with endo, conservative/low amounts have not been associated with endo, such as 1-3 servings per week. Additionally, the amount that was associated with endo was incredibly high, with one study showing a link with two or more servings per day, and another being seven or more servings per week. To understand more about these studies (including the quality and validity of them) and how to eat red meat in a way that’s supportive to an anti-inflammatory diet for endo, if you want to eat meat, have a listen to my episode with Katie Edmonds from Heal Endo.
Vitamin C
Now let’s move onto vitamin C.
Vitamins C is another antioxidant which plays an absolutely key role in collagen formation, and collagen, being a structural protein, sets the scaffolding for new cells and tissue to grow upon. And as you probably well know, it is also essential for immune function.
Vitamin C also lowers inflammation levels, and alongside vitamin E, was shown to help reduce pain with endo and reduced inflammatory markers when supplemented, but, we can get lots of vitamin C from plant foods.
Some of the best sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits like oranges, berries, kiwis, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and dark leafy greens.
Vitamin C is not stored in the body, so we have to keep our levels topped up daily by eating a selection of these vitamin C rich foods - and I do mean eating. Drinking orange juice is a big blood sugar spiker, and blood sugar spikes cause oxidation, which as you learnt earlier, we don’t want!
Vitamin A
Finally, let’s talk about vitamin A.
You may have heard of Vitamin A as retinol, used in skin care - why? Because again, it is so crucial to collagen formation, cell proliferation and cell repair, and so you can see why it plays such an important role in surgery recovery. It also again supports the immune system and a healthy inflammatory response.
Vitamin A is another food, that like zinc, is can be better absorbed from animal products. Animal foods contain vitamin A, in a ready to use form. Plant foods contain carotenoids, which our body needs to convert into vitamin A to use.
Some people have trouble converting, due to genetic differences, and so plant food don’t supply them with adequate amounts.
Getting a mix of both would cover you, and of course, you could test your genes if you were very curious, but you’d have to order this test privately as it’s unlikely your doctor would order it, especially in the UK on the NHS.
So, let’s start with sources of vitamin A. They are:
Organ meats, like liver
Fatty fish like salmon and also cod liver oil
Eggs
Dairy
From fruits and veggies, orange and yellow foods like carrots and sweet potatoes are some of the highest sources of carotenoids, but a more comprehensive list includes:
Peppers
Pumpkin
Butternut squash
Mango and apricots, and other yellow fruits
Leafy greens like kale and spinach
Broccoli
Final thoughts
Clearly, overall, it’s really about getting an abundance and variation in fruits and vegetables, and if it fits with your lifestyle choices, good quality meat in moderate amounts.
Whilst there are other areas of nutrition to focus on, like healthy fats and protein for recovery, front loading your shopping with these foods, will provide you an array of zinc, vitamin C and A.
Lastly, I also wanted to mention vit D. If you live in a cloudy country, don’t get much sun exposure or have dark skin, you may need to supplement with vitamin D. You can get a little vitamin D from dairy, fatty fish and eggs, but it’s not much in comparison to how much we need, so it’s not really something you can add to your food shop! Vitamin D is immune supportive, and so as you’ve now learnt, we need a healthy immune system for surgery recovery. So, check in on your vitamin D levels before surgery, and top up if necessary. If you’d like to learn more about how to do that, I’ve linked to my episode on vitamin D.
Okay, that’s it for now! I am thinking of doing a couple of episodes on surgery recovery, so watch this space.
Antioxidants general
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5625949/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8397081/
Zinc
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10184220/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35226276/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25864256/
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/
https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/19/8/1755/2356458?login=true
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6066416/
https://www.theguthealthdoctor.com/eating-purely-plant-based-here-are-the-key-nutrients-to-consider
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793244/
Vit C
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18505499/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/#:~:text=
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8172324/
https://gp-portal.westhampshireccg.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CS38589-WHCCG-Wound-Healing-Nutrition-guidance-FINAL.pdf
Vit A
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9096837/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-high-in-vitamin-a#vegetables
https://gp-portal.westhampshireccg.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CS38589-WHCCG-Wound-Healing-Nutrition-guidance-FINAL.pdf
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31389093/
Free resources:
This podcast!
Ways to work with me:
This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast digital cookbook
Masterclasses in endo nutrition, surgery prep and recovery and pain relief
Live and Thrive with Endo: The Foundations DIY course
One to one coaching info and application
This episode is sponsored by BeYou Cramp Relief Patches. Soothe period cramps the natural way with these 100% natural and discreet menthol and eucalyptus oil stick on patches. Click here to find out more and to shop: https://beyouonline.co.uk/pages/how-it-works
Produced by Chris Robson