PCOS is a hormonal disorder that affects women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS have hormonal and metabolic imbalances that affect their general health.
PCOS and Nutrition
One prominent sign of polycyclic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is weight gain. For women who have PCOS, losing weight can be challenging due to the hormonal abnormalities, insulin resistance, and inflammation associated with this disorder. But in women with PCOS, even a little weight loss of around 5% can enhance insulin resistance, hormone levels, menstrual cycles, fertility, and general quality of life.
Being overweight makes managing PCOS difficult.
Also, read about Healthy ways to lose weight.
Recommendations to help you lose weight if you have PCOS
- Reduce Your Carbohydrate Consumption.
Due to the effect that carbohydrates have on insulin levels, reducing your carb intake may help you control PCOS. Insulin resistance, which occurs when your cells fail to recognize the effects of the hormone insulin, affects over 70% of women with PCOS.
Your body needs insulin to regulate blood sugar levels and store energy. According to research, both in the general population and in PCOS women, elevated levels of insulin are linked to an increase in body fat and weight gain. Additionally, women with PCOS may benefit from a low-glycemic diet. The glycemic index (GI) determines how rapidly a specific food increases blood sugar levels.
For example, women in a test consumed their regular diet for 12 weeks, and then switched to a low-GI diet for another 12 weeks. During the low-GI period, their measurements of insulin sensitivity (how effectively the body uses insulin) considerably improved.
Tip
Women with PCOS may have lower insulin levels by following a low-GI, low-carb diet. In turn, this might facilitate weight loss.
- Consume a lot of fiber.
In women with PCOS, weight loss may be enhanced by a high-fiber diet since fiber keeps you feeling full after meals. In contrast to women without PCOS, women with PCOS have decreased insulin resistance, total body fat, and belly fat when they consume more fiber.
Tip
A diet rich in fiber may assist women with PCOS in lowering insulin resistance, body weight, and extra body fat.
- Take in Enough Protein
After a meal, protein promotes feelings of fullness and helps keep blood sugar levels stable. Lowering cravings, boosting calorie burn, and controlling hunger hormones, may also help with weight loss.
In one study, 57 PCOS-afflicted women were assigned one of two diets: a high-protein diet with more than 40% of calories coming from protein and 30% from fat, or a typical diet with less than 15% protein and 30% fat. After six months, women in the high-protein group dropped an average of 9.7 pounds (4.4 kg), which was significantly more weight loss than women in the control group.
You can include more protein in your meals or pick high-protein snacks if you’re worried you’re not getting enough. Eggs, nuts, dairy, meat, and seafood are examples of nutritious, high-protein diets.
Tip
A higher protein consumption may facilitate weight loss, particularly for PCOS-affected women. Consider enhancing your diet with nutritious, high-protein foods like eggs, nuts, and seafood.
- Limit your intake of processed foods and added sugars.
Another PCOS weight loss tip is to limit your intake of certain unhealthy foods. Processed foods and added sugars can raise blood sugar levels and put you at risk for insulin resistance, which is linked to obesity. Sugar may be processed differently in women with PCOS than in women without it.
According to research, women with PCOS have higher spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels after consuming the same amount of sugar as women without the condition. Also, minimally processed, real foods not only raise blood sugar levels lower than highly processed foods, but they are also more satisfying.
In addition, physicians advise women with PCOS to consume less refined carbs and added sugars to control their symptoms and maintain healthy body weight.
Cakes, cookies, candies, and fast food are examples of foods high in refined carbs and added sugar.
Tip
Blood sugar levels are raised by processed foods, such as refined carbohydrates and added sweets, which can result in weight gain.
- Lower Inflammation.
Your body naturally produces inflammation in reaction to an injury or infection. However, obesity is associated with chronic inflammation, which is prevalent in women with PCOS. processed foods and sugar may increase inflammation.
Inflammation may be reduced by a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet, which is heavy in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and omega-3-rich foods like fatty fish.
Tip
Women with PCOS frequently have inflammation, which has been connected to obesity. Consuming a diet rich in whole foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, may prevent inflammation.
- Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is becoming more widely recognized as essential to your health. If you have PCOS, you may have sleep problems, including insomnia, sleep apnea, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Insufficient sleep has been demonstrated to enhance the activity of hunger-inducing chemicals like ghrelin and cortisol, which could lead you to eat more throughout the day. A higher risk of being overweight or obese is linked to poor sleep.
Tip
Obesity is related to poor sleep. Increased sleep duration may help you burn more calories and lose weight, according to studies on healthy adults.
