Barbara Intermill
ANN/THE STAR – Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a typical hormonal condition in women, and most don’t know anything about it.
Once I first heard about it at a conference a few years ago, I felt just like the speaker directed his talk specifically to one in every of my members of the family.
She struggled along with her weight most of her life.
As a teen, she developed pimples and weird hair growth on her face. And her menstrual periods were irregular.
I contacted her once I got home from the meeting and encouraged her to get tested for PCOS.
Sure enough, that was her diagnosis. A few years later, the diagnosis and treatment of PCOS still stays a challenge.
That’s because its cause is complicated.
At the center of the varied symptoms of this disease are abnormal hormone levels.
And experts now imagine PCOS could also be partly determined by heredity (genetics), in addition to environmental aspects (lifestyle decisions). That’s where nutrition is available in.
Obesity and insulin resistance (step one toward type 2 diabetes) are hallmarks of this condition.
And while several different weight loss plan approaches have shown promise, no specific weight loss plan is completely beneficial for the treatment of PCOS.
Some common dietary patterns have produced good leads to women with PCOS, nevertheless.
Listed below are some recommendations based on a review of the subject:
RICH IN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
And never simply because they’re extremely low in calories and brimming with nutrients.
Some evidence suggests a healthful mix of excellent bacteria within the gut – fed by the fibres in vegatables and fruits (prebiotics) – may help fight the inflammation and maybe improve abnormal hormones in women with PCOS.
And imagine it or not, the helpful microbes fed by these plant-based fibres also appear to play a job in fighting off obesity.
LOW IN SUGAR
Besides contributing to weight gain, high intakes of sugar throw the fragile balance of excellent gut bacteria out of whack.
Some postulate this may occasionally result in inflammation, off-balance hormones and insulin resistance – good reasons for PCOS patients to maintain added sugars to a minimum.
MODERATELY HIGH IN PROTEIN
To this point, a lot of the diets which have found favourable results for PCOS patients include eggs, fish, poultry, lean meats, dairy foods and other protein sources.
Not less than one study also found good results for PCOS patients who followed a high protein, low carbohydrate weight loss plan.
To this point, the Mediterranean and DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) eating patterns appear to stand out as valid options for girls with PCOS.
Each are wealthy in vegatables and fruits, low in sugar and moderate in protein.
These diets also encourage the intake of nuts, legumes, olive oil and fish, which contain ingredients which will improve the symptoms of PCOS.
What’s across the corner for the dietary treatment of this complex condition?
Hopefully, more large-scale studies. We still have quite a bit to learn.