The Ketogenic diet includes the intake of high-fat foods and severely restricts the carbohydrates. It forces the body to utilize a different type of fuel, i.e. fat instead of glucose, by encouraging the body in ketosis.
While this diet has been around since the 1920s, it has recently become more popular when celebrities endorsed it for weight loss. For a detailed guide on ketosis, reach out to experts at Evercare Hospital Lahore.
Studies have shown keto to be beneficial for women in terms of weight loss and fat burning, with decreased caloric intake and a decrease in hormones like insulin which promote hunger. Resultantly, there is improvement in symptoms of insulin resistance, and increased loss of fat. Other benefits of keto show significant reduction in body fat in obese women, with decrease in food cravings and improved sexual function.
What is PCOS?
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine syndrome with a triad of infertility, hirsutism and obesity. The hormonal profile in PCOS is quite deranged, with increase in androgens, insulin and progesterone. Consequently, there are changes in the body like acne, hirsutism, increased resistance to insulin and high blood sugar levels. PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder in women and is associated with metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The onset of PCOS cannot be linked to a single causative factor, rather, it is a mix of hereditary and environmental factors.
The amount of subcutaneous and visceral body fat is higher in women suffering from PCOS, due to the higher circulating androgen levels. The metabolic characteristics of PCOS are greatly explained by obesity, and patients display an atherogenic lipid profile, with increased levels of low-density lipoproteins, cholesterol and triglyceride, and decreased amounts of healthy HDLs.
Adverse effect of High carbohydrate intake on PCOS
The correlation between increased insulin and androgens levels also suggest that insulin contributes to hyperandrogenism in women with PCOS. Increased insulin stimulates the production of luteinizing hormone (LH), which is involved in the normal cycle of a woman. Furthermore, the levels of free hormones in the blood are increased by hyper-insulinemia due to decreased production of hormone binding globulins by the liver. The hormone binding globulins actually bind the hormones and regulate their level in the blood. When their amount is decreased, as seen here in PCOS, there is increased amount of free circulating hormone in the body.
How is keto diet helpful?
Keto diet, with its focus on intake of fats, instead of carbohydrates, helps in the decrease of blood sugar levels, and decreases insulin resistance. This mitigates the need to take oral drugs like metformin to lower insulin resistance, and induce weight loss, however, it is dependent on the discretion of the healthcare provider. Research suggests that keto diet can be a valuable non-pharmacological therapeutic measure for treatment of PCOS.
In one study, keto diet showed a significant reduction in weight loss, decrease in LH to FSH ratio, decrease in insulin as well as decreased free testosterone. These favorable effects of keto diet are endorsed by the Italian Society of Endocrinology, who suggest using a low-calorie ketogenic diet for obese patients with PCOS, not responsive to standardized dietary modifications.
While the preliminary findings are suggesting that keto diet is great for patients of PCOS, long-term studies are lacking. It is therefore best to start keto diet under the supervision of an experienced healthcare provider from Surgimed Hospital Lahore.
