October 10, 2013 by Agency Reporter
Researchers
have found that eating a hearty meal in the morning, rather than the
evening, may help combat the effects of polycystic ovary syndrome — a
major cause of infertility.
The underlying cause of PCOS is unknown,
but the condition is associated with hormonal imbalances, leading to
missed or absent periods, which, in turn, can make it hard for women to
conceive.
Many women with PCOS are also found to
have abnormal insulin levels, or are “insulin resistant,” which means
they don’t respond to insulin normally. This then leads to higher than
normal levels of testosterone in the blood, which disrupts the menstrual
cycle.
Reducing insulin with weight loss or
medication may improve fertility; however, these are not good options
for slim women. So, the researchers wanted to see if the timing of meals
led to a better control of insulin in women with PCOS.
Researchers asked 60 slim women with
PCOS to eat 1,800 calories each day for 12 weeks. One group of women was
asked to eat most of their calories at breakfast, the other group was
asked to eat most at dinner. By the end of the study, half of the women
in the breakfast group had ovulated at least once, compared to a fifth
of the “dinner group”, which suggests improved fertility.
Although these results are encouraging,
the study was only small and, despite the blood results suggesting
improved fertility in the “big breakfast” group, we don’t know whether
this actually resulted in improved chances of the women becoming
pregnant
• Source: nhs.uk
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