{"id":1719,"date":"2024-03-11T14:00:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T15:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=1719"},"modified":"2024-03-12T21:05:08","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T21:05:08","slug":"pcos-diets-are-unlikely-to-ease-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=1719","title":{"rendered":"PCOS Diets Are Unlikely to Ease Symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-1n0orw4 e1wiw3jv0\">Patients were told for years that cutting calories would ease the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome. But research suggests dieting may not help at all.<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For years, people who had <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/article\/polycystic-ovary-syndrome.html#link-250ad3a8\" title>polycystic ovary syndrome<\/a> and were also overweight were told that their symptoms would improve if they lost weight via a restrictive diet. In 2018, a leading group of PCOS experts <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/humrep\/article\/33\/9\/1602\/5056069\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">recommended<\/a> that overweight or obese women with the hormonal disorder consider reducing their caloric intake by up to 750 calories a day. That guidance helped to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.phc.ox.ac.uk\/blog\/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-losing-weight-can-help-but-many-sufferers-are-vulnerable-to-bad-advice-on-social-media\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">spawn questionable diet programs<\/a> on social media, and reinforced an impression among people with PCOS that if only they could successfully alter their diets, they would feel better.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the recommendations were not based on robust PCOS studies, and researchers now say that there is no solid evidence to suggest that a restrictive diet in the long-term has any significant impact on PCOS symptoms. Dieting <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/01\/11\/well\/eat\/dieting-weight-loss.html\" title>rarely<\/a> leads to sustained weight loss for anyone, and for people with PCOS, losing weight is particularly difficult. Beyond that, the link between sustained weight loss and improved symptoms is not very clear or well-established, said Julie Duffy Dillon, a registered dietitian specializing in PCOS care.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In 2023, the same group, called the International PCOS Network, revised its <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monash.edu\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0003\/3379521\/Evidence-Based-Guidelines-2023.pdf\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">guidance<\/a> based on a new analysis of the research and dropped all references to caloric restriction. The group now recommends that people with PCOS maintain an \u201coverall balanced and healthy dietary composition\u201d similar to the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/01\/06\/well\/eat\/mediterranean-diet-health.html\" title>Mediterranean diet<\/a>, which is associated with a reduced risk of the health issues that are linked to the disorder, like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It\u2019s not known whether eating this way might improve symptoms of PCOS.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"> The changes in the guidelines reflect \u201cthe PCOS literature and the lived experience of people with the condition,\u201d said Dr. Helena Teede, an endocrinologist at Monash Health in Australia and lead author of the 2023 guidelines. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer about blaming people or stigmatizing them, or suggesting that it\u2019s their personal behavioral failure that they have higher weight.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-kypbrf eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-4a27c59c\">What is PCOS?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">PCOS is a hormonal disorder that affects as many as <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/diabetes\/basics\/pcos.html\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">five million women in the United States<\/a>. It\u2019s characterized by irregular periods, infertility, excessive facial hair growth, acne and scalp hair loss \u2014 symptoms that are common with other health conditions, too, making diagnosis tricky. People with PCOS usually ovulate less than once a month and often also have higher levels of androgens (male sex hormones) or multiple underdeveloped follicles on their ovaries (not, as the name suggests, cysts) or both.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Typically, when a woman is experiencing symptoms, a doctor will either scan the ovaries to look for those follicles or draw blood to test hormone levels. There is no cure for PCOS; the first line of treatment is often some form of birth control to help regulate the menstrual cycle.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171d1bw\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F03%2F11%2Fwell%2Feat%2Fpcos-diet-weight-loss-calories.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F03%2F11%2Fwell%2Feat%2Fpcos-diet-weight-loss-calories.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F03%2F11%2Fwell%2Feat%2Fpcos-diet-weight-loss-calories.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F03%2F11%2Fwell%2Feat%2Fpcos-diet-weight-loss-calories.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Patients were told for years that cutting calories would ease the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome. But research suggests dieting may not help at all.For years, people who had polycystic ovary syndrome and were also overweight were told that their symptoms would improve if they lost weight via a restrictive diet. In 2018, a leading group of PCOS experts recommended that overweight or obese women with the hormonal disorder consider reducing their caloric intake by up to 750 calories a day. That guidance helped to spawn questionable diet programs on social media, and reinforced an impression among people with PCOS that if only they could successfully alter their diets, they would feel better.But the recommendations were not based on robust PCOS studies, and researchers now say that there is no solid evidence to suggest that a restrictive diet in the long-term has any significant impact on PCOS symptoms. Dieting rarely leads to sustained weight loss for anyone, and for people with PCOS, losing weight is particularly difficult. Beyond that, the link between sustained weight loss and improved symptoms is not very clear or well-established, said Julie Duffy Dillon, a registered dietitian specializing in PCOS care.In 2023, the same group, called the International PCOS Network, revised its guidance based on a new analysis of the research and dropped all references to caloric restriction. The group now recommends that people with PCOS maintain an \u201coverall balanced and healthy dietary composition\u201d similar to the Mediterranean diet, which is associated with a reduced risk of the health issues that are linked to the disorder, like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It\u2019s not known whether eating this way might improve symptoms of PCOS. The changes in the guidelines reflect \u201cthe PCOS literature and the lived experience of people with the condition,\u201d said Dr. Helena Teede, an endocrinologist at Monash Health in Australia and lead author of the 2023 guidelines. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer about blaming people or stigmatizing them, or suggesting that it\u2019s their personal behavioral failure that they have higher weight.\u201dWhat is PCOS?PCOS is a hormonal disorder that affects as many as five million women in the United States. It\u2019s characterized by irregular periods, infertility, excessive facial hair growth, acne and scalp hair loss \u2014 symptoms that are common with other health conditions, too, making diagnosis tricky. People with PCOS usually ovulate less than once a month and often also have higher levels of androgens (male sex hormones) or multiple underdeveloped follicles on their ovaries (not, as the name suggests, cysts) or both.Typically, when a woman is experiencing symptoms, a doctor will either scan the ovaries to look for those follicles or draw blood to test hormone levels. There is no cure for PCOS; the first line of treatment is often some form of birth control to help regulate the menstrual cycle.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1721,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1719"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1722,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719\/revisions\/1722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}