Imperial College London
New project to analyze why Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and insulin resistance are so closely linked
Understanding the link between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance is the aim of a new project announced today, funded by the charity WellBeing of Women.
It is known that women with PCOS have a 3-fold increase in their risk of developing type-2 diabetes, where the body does not produce enough insulin or cannot use insulin properly. Insulin resistance is an important factor in the condition, which is the most common female hormone disorder. PCOS affects between 5 and 10 per cent of women and is a major cause of infertility.
The new £97K project aims to identify a defective point on the insulin signalling pathway in women with PCOS. The researchers, from Imperial College London, hope this will enable the development of new therapies which target this part of the pathway, to counter the insulin resistance and the fertility problems that PCOS can cause.
Insulin is released from cells in the pancreas after eating and it signals insulin-sensitive tissues (such as fat and muscle) to take up glucose, keeping glucose levels in the bloodstream normal. In people with insulin resistance, normal amounts of insulin are not adequate to produce a normal glucose response, meaning that levels of insulin in the bloodstream need to be higher to achieve normal blood sugar levels.
Insulin resistance (and/or the compensatory excess of insulin in the bloodstream), may contribute to abnormalities in function of the ovaries that lead to many of the symptoms of PCOS. These include irregular periods, or no periods at all; fertility problems; weight gain; acne; and excessive hair growth (hirsutism).
A longer term concern is that insulin resistance also predisposes people to diabetes. In some patients the pancreas is unable, in the long-term, to produce enough insulin to compensate for the resistance of the tissues to insulin action. Consequently, blood sugar levels rise. What is not known is why PCOS and insulin resistance are so closely related.
Stacey's comment
I am glad they are looking into the mechanisms that the insulin resistance that women with polycystic ovaries experience effects the ovary and its production of hormones. And I also hope that they look at and investigate the actual cause of the insulin resistance which in most cases of polycystic ovaries is diet. Now there are a small number of women that do not seem to have a poor diet when it comes to dealing with PCO but the majority of women that we see, whether lean or overweight with PCO really need to focus on their diet.
Eliminating high glycemic foods is the first step and adding in foods that are rich in antioxidants and minerals is very important as well. Eliminating trans fat from fried foods, processed foods, biscuits, muffins, and other processed foods is also very important to help regulate ovulation.
Adding good healthy fats such as nuts and seeds, avocadoes and an appropriate amount of low mercury fish is also helpful. Keep in mind that ALL carbohydrates eaten turn into glucose (sugar) in the body. This doesn't mean that all carbohydrates have to be eliminated, but it does mean that making sure you are eating low glycemic carbs is extremely important.
Some women may have to eliminate carbs for a short period of time to improve their situation but the natural therapist that you are working with should give you some excellent guidelines regarding diet.
Balancing proteins, low glycemic carbs and good fats is very important to improve PCO and we have even had women who have eliminated the mulitiple follicles on the ovaries and improve ovulation by following our program. OUr PCO ebook at www.sharkeyshealingcentre.com.au (books section) has helped many women become pregnant even without utilising our herbs.
A nice health glucose balancing drink that many of our patients diagnosed with PCO enjoy is green tea with a cinnamon stick and a drop of licorice. And recently spearmint tea has been linked with helping to address excessive hair growth as well.
