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A Randomized Clinical Trial in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Effects of a Pulse‐Based Diet and Exercise Intervention on Blood Lipids, Body Composition and Reproductive Measures
Author(s) -
McBreairty Laura E,
Kazemi Maryam,
Gordon Julianne J,
Pierson Roger A,
Chizen Donna R,
Chilibeck Philip D,
Zello Gordon A
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.31.6
Subject(s) - polycystic ovary , medicine , hyperandrogenism , endocrinology , triglyceride , blood pressure , cholesterol , insulin resistance , blood lipids , infertility , diabetes mellitus , insulin , biology , pregnancy , genetics
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. Clinical symptoms of the syndrome include menstrual irregularities, hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance, and women with PCOS are predisposed to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and infertility. Pulse‐based diets (e.g., beans, chickpeas) have insulin lowering effects and we hypothesized that a pulse‐based diet would have a positive effect on serum lipid profiles, body composition as analyzed by dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry, and reproductive measures. Sixty‐one women with PCOS aged 18–35y were randomly assigned to groups receiving a pulse‐based diet (n = 30) or the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) diet (n = 31) for 16 wks while participating in an exercise program. Following the intervention, there was a significant time main effect (p < 0.02) and group × time interaction (p < 0.05) in cholesterol ratio (total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol) and LDL cholesterol, with a significantly lower cholesterol ratio (−0.36) and LDL cholesterol level (−0.27 mmol/L) in the pulse‐group following the intervention. Significant group × time interactions were also found in HDL cholesterol (p = 0.009) and triglyceride (p = 0.04), with lower HDL in the TLC‐group (−0.08 mmol/L) and lower triglyceride in the pulse‐group following the intervention (−0.2 mmol/L). There was a time main effect for lower total cholesterol (p = 0.003), fasting insulin (p = 0.04), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.0001) and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.034), with no differences between groups. We also found a significant time main effect for lower BMI (p = 0.006), whole body fat mass (p = 0.003), trunk fat mass (p = 0.0004), % fat (p = 0.0002), as well as higher % appendicular skeletal muscle mass (p = 0.0006), with no difference in whole body lean mass. Both groups also had a lower antral follicle count in the right ovary (p=0.003) and left ovary (p < 0.001) following the intervention. Lifestyle modifications, including diet and exercise, are currently the first‐line treatment recommended for women with PCOS; however, there are currently no specific diet recommendations for women with PCOS. Our results demonstrate that a pulse‐based diet is more effective than the TLC‐diet for improving cholesterol ratio, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in women with PCOS. Support or Funding Information Supported by Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation.