Wednesday, April 14, 2010

PCOS Diet

Question: I was diagnosed with PCOS, so I have been trying to follow a low carb, high protein diet as my understanding is that the diet is similar to a diabetic diet. However, lately meat has been making me nauseous and I find myself gravitating back to carbs and noticing a difference in my PCOS symptoms. Any suggestions?

Answer: You are correct in that PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, is treated, in terms of nutrition, similar to diabetes because, like diabetes, it is an endocrine disorder associated with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. Further, PCOS markedly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However, it is important to note that a diabetic diet is not a low-carb diet. A diabetic diet is a consistent-carb diet. There is a big difference. Our bodies, regardless of whether or not we have diabetes, are designed to use carbohydrate as our main fuel source, so even most diabetics, are still prescribed a diet with ~50% of calories from carbohydrate. The difference is that those carbohydrates should be evenly spaced with approximately the same carbohydrate eaten at approximately the same time each day. For most women, this will mean approximately 3 "carb choices" (or 45 grams of carbohydrate as 1 carb choice = 15 grams of Total Carbohydrate) at each meal with snacks being equivalent to 1-2 carb choices (15-30 grams of carbohydrate) per day.

Having said that, carbohydrate does promote insulin secretion, so high-carb diets should be avoided. The diets I see most commonly prescribed for PCOS are ~45-50% complex carbs with ~20% protein and ~30% fat (from mostly unsaturated fat sources). So, it is okay to have carbs in your diet as long as they are mostly complex carbs and are moderately and consistently spaced throughout the day. Further, if meat is making you feel sick, focus on non-meat protein sources such as reduced-fat cheese, eggs or egg-substitute (Egg Beaters, etc), nuts, beans, etc.

As a side note, several diabetic medications have been found to be helpful in individuals with PCOS. Metformin, for instance, has been found to help with insulin regulation of glucose, improve ovulation activity and lower the incidence of miscarriage.

As a resource, you may want to check out pcosupport.org which is full of useful information.

Good Luck!

If you have a question, please email me at mypersonaldietitian@gmail.com

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