Another
possible way to modify PCOS with diet is through inflammation. Patients with PCOS
have higher levels of inflammation than healthy controls even after accounting
for weight – and in lean healthy women, researchers can induce inflammation by
raising androgen levels.
Related to
inflammation, there’s also an Omega-6 connection. Omega-6 fats are essential in
small doses, but from a Paleo perspective they get dangerous quickly because in
excess they’re highly inflammatory. And just as you might expect, they’re bad
news for PCOS. These researchers found that Omega-6 fats may actually directly
encourage androgen production, and that Omega-3 supplements helped women with
PCOS by reducing the Omega-6:Omega-3 ratio.
So what to do?
The
connection with inflammation suggests an anti-inflammatory diet – which Paleo
already is, so there’s no real need to go very far afield. Eating plenty of
fish and seafood for the Omega-3s is always a good idea, and limiting
quantities of nuts and seeds also helps: they’re very high in Omega-6.
PCOS and
Diet: Strategies in Review
Just to quickly recap all the things that the various studies suggest for PCOS:
Limit nuts,
seeds, seed oils, soy, and “vegetable oil” (Sources of Omega-6 PUFA, most of
which aren’t Paleo anyway) and eat more fish and seafood (Omega-3). Eating more
fish may also help because fish contains Vitamin D, which this paper suggests
could also be therapeutic.
Eat more
olive oil too, while you’re at it: this study found that monounsaturated fat
could be helpful.
And don’t
skimp on the coconut oil, either: this study suggested that conjugated linoleic
acid might help with insulin resistance.
Carbs:
Smarter, Not Harder.
Whether or
not you go low-carb, get rid of refined carbs (crackers, pretzels, candy, soft
drinks…). But remember that both a lower GI diet and a lower carb diet were
effective for PCOS. This suggests that just eliminating highly refined starches
like processed grains might do the trick, without needing to give up all the
potential advantages of leaving some safe starch in your diet.
On the other
hand, a low-carb diet is worth a try if nothing else is helping – just don’t be
afraid to modify or give it up if it’s not working for you.
Reduce
Inflammation
Inflammation
doesn’t just come from food! Sleep deprivation and chronic stress are also
surefire ways to ramp it up. On the other hand, getting plenty of sleep and
practicing effective stress management techniques can be a very valuable part
of recovery.
Summing it
Up
PCOS is hard
to deal with, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar. Even on Paleo, life
is not going to be perfect, especially not right away! Some people might need
medication or other interventions even with an absolutely perfect diet, and
that’s just fine: as always, a doctor will be able to give you much more
personalized feedback.
But with that
said, there are strategies that can help you manage PCOS with diet and
lifestyle – like finding a carb level that works for you, eating an
anti-inflammatory diet low in Omega-6 fats, and reducing inflammation by
getting plenty of sleep and avoiding stress. None of these things will “cure”
PCOS, because PCOS can’t be cured, only managed well. But they might be a step
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