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PCOS or Polycystic ovary syndrome is an extremely common condition among women, all over the world. Diet and exercise in PCOS has to be in a guided manner besides lifestyle changes. It can be reversed with no symptoms at all, if not cured.
Do you or someone close to you have PCOS? Don’t worry, besides medical treatment, here we shall mainly discuss about the other details too.
PCOS is a disease with following disorders:
1. Amenorrhoea (no menstruation) or irregular menstruation
2. Infertility or difficulty in conceiving child.
3. Recurrent miscarriages and history of premature labour.
4. Androgenic features like deeper voice, facial hair (hirsutism), male pattern baldness, central obesity etc.
5. Weight gain and difficulty in shedding weight by simple dieting.
6. Increased free testosterone level (male hormone) and increased LH/FSH hormonal ratio.
7. Insulin resistance occurs with high insulin levels in body (even leading to Type 2 diabetes in some cases).
8. Mood swings and depression.
9. Sleep apnoea with disturbed sleep.
10. Metabolic syndrome may occur (cluster of conditions, at least 3 among : high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low HDL, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels).
11. Abnormal uterine bleeding and in few cases endometrial cancer.
12. Thick skin with lots of acne. Sometimes skin gets thick and darker.
13. Multiple small cysts of unruptured egg follicles in ovary – detected by ultrasound
The medications used are targeted against the above condition. Doctor may give you Metformin for improvement of insulin resistance. It significantly reduces weight gain and insulin resistance when you combine with proper diet and exercise. Clomiphene is also used to induce ovulation so that patient can conceive.
Insulin resistance and increased androgens leading to hormonal disbalance are the primary culprits of PCOS. Diet, medications and exercises are made to deal with these specific issues.
Besides the cosmetic reasons and infertility/menstruation issues, PCOS can lead to these following complications:
Diabetes
Hypertension
Cardiac diseases
Endometrial cancer
So get serious and start to bring following changes in life besides treatment:
Dietary modification:
What to eat:
High-fiber vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, lettuce cauliflower, brussels sprout, beans, lentils, almonds, berries, pumpkin etc. – These high fiber nutritious foods are complex carbs. They slow down absorption and thereby combat insulin resistance.
Lean protein, such as fish, chicken, tofu – to keep you full.
Anti-inflammatory foods and spices, like turmeric and tomatoes are good here.Omega 3 fatty acids (as supplement or from fish oils of salmon, sardine, tuna, hilsa etc.), walnuts, almond, tomato etc. are particularly useful.
Studies have shown that low carb diets are extremely useful in fighting insulin resistance and reversal of symptoms. Keto diet, where carbs are kept extremely low have proved to yield best results.
What food to avoid:
All sugar, high fructose corn syrup and sugary drinks are to be avoided including cola, soda etc.
All simple carbs, starchy food and refined carb sources like rice, white bread, pasta, white potatoes, muffins, pastries, sweet desserts etc. should be avoided.
Food that are pro inflammatory like red meat are based avoided.
Soy contains phytoestrogens and they interfere with the hormones of PCOS and are better avoided. Even gluten avoidance have been advocated in some literatures. But there is no concrete data on these.
Milk and other lactose containing products contain IGF (insulin like growth factors) which mimics insulin and may be problematic for PCOS.
The bottomline is to avoid any food which can increase insulin or flare up inflammation in our body. Even hidden sugars in food should be avoided. The low carb/keto diet take care of this particular dietary requirements and have yielded amazing results. You may have your personalised diet for PCOS from Getindiafit.
Exercises for PCOS:
Do aerobic exercises for 30 minutes in a moderate intensity for 3 to 5 days a week. Brisk walking, jogging, cycling or swimming are all great activities that can help. This type of exercise increases your insulin sensitivity. Finally this reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. They have also been reported to better control of infertility and higher chance of conceiving.
Anaerobic exercises increase insulin sensitivity, improves metabolism with accelerated fat loss and better muscle mass. Hence start doing resistance training for 2 to 3 days per week for even better results.
Yoga and pilates help in relaxing with better mental control. Try other relaxation techniques to fight PCOS better
High intensity interval training (HIIT), core training, pelvic floor exercises etc. are also helpful to some extent. But aerobics coupled with resistance training (even with bodyweight if weights not possible) are the most important exercises to improve PCOS. Don’t worry, you won’t get bulky with strength training.
Recently HIIT have been proved to yield amazing results. Try HIIT and weight training on different days of the week if your fitness permits. Several clients from our Getindiafit has seen dramatic improvement in PCOS symptoms.
Lifestyle modifications:
Try relaxing techniques like deep breathing and de stressing. Meditation for few minutes before going to bed will really calm you down.
Keep a positive attitude all the time. Remember, PCOS symptoms can be reversed if you try earnestly. Despite being frustrated at times, take proactive steps to keep your mood better. This is extremely important.
Regular medical check up and follow up is also important for optimum result in PCOS.
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Its appalling that one in every three women is either PCOD or Hypothyroid ! The impact such a lifestyle change in eating and workouts can bring in is amazing!!!!
Really we need to spread this consciousness amongst the women we love and care…
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[…] But if you have PCOS, you might have concurrent insulin resistance. You will face the real problem to lose weight easily by simple calorie restriction. Read my post on PCOS – diet and exercise. […]