A hearty breakfast could help with fertility in PCOS patients

A recent small cohort study published in Clinical Science seems to indicate that eating a large breakfast can have a positive impact on fertility in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Researchers from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University studied 60 women over a 12-week period. Study participants were aged 25 to 39 years, had a lean body with a body mass index <23, and had PCOS. The women were split into two groups and allowed to consume a diet of 1800 calories per day. The breakfast group consumed the bulk of their calories-roughly 980-with their morning meal and the dinner group consumed those calories with their evening meal. All participants kept a record of all food consumed during the study.

The breakfast group saw a significant decrease in AUC_glucose (glucose area under the curve) and AUC_insulin(insulin area under the curve): 7% and 54%, respectively. Free testosterone decreased by 50% and sex hormone-binding globulin increased 105%. An increased ovulation rate was seen in the breakfast group. None of these measurements changed in the dinner group.

The study authors concluded that a high-calorie breakfast and reduced-calorie dinner leads to greater insulin sensitivity indices and increased ovarian cytochrome P450c17α, which helps reduce the hyperandrogenism resulting from PCOS. 

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