Overview
- The Frontiers in Nutrition review identified 31 studies from 493 records and pooled quantitative data from 14 studies, including eight cross-sectional, three prospective, and three randomized trials.
- Healthy, anti-inflammatory patterns—especially the Mediterranean diet—were associated with improved sexual function and lower odds of incontinence, whereas pro-inflammatory diets correlated with higher pelvic floor dysfunction risk.
- For sexual function, pooled prospective data showed improvement (SMD = -0.60), which remained positive but smaller after sensitivity analysis excluding two Esposito trials (SMD = -0.25).
- Urinary outcomes were more mixed: cross-sectional data favored less inflammatory diets, the DASH pattern was linked to fewer lower urinary tract symptoms, and prospective effects on incontinence were not statistically significant overall.
- Authors recommend integrating dietary counseling into pelvic floor care—particularly for patients with obesity or type 2 diabetes—while noting that most evidence is observational with heterogeneity and potential BMI confounding, and proposed mechanisms such as endothelial nitric oxide remain hypotheses.