Why Fad Diets Won’t Help Your PCOS
With 54% of people resolving to eat healthier and 59% vowing to eat healthier in the New Year (1) it isn’t surprising that diet and weight loss companies prey on people at this time of year and promote a variety of quick fixes to weight loss.
If you have PCOS, an endocrine disorder that affects 1 in 10 women in the UK (2), then considering one of the common symptoms is weight gain, you may be tempted to try any method to lose weight.
PCOS is characterised by high levels of androgens (testosterone and androstenedione), menstrual irregularities (missed, irregular and/or painful periods) and/or polycystic ovaries (ovaries become enlarged and contain many fluid-filled sacs known as follicles that surround the eggs). A diagnosis of PCOS is usually given when someone has two or more of these features (3).
Impact of Fad Diets
Restricting your diet and over-exercising can result in increased stress levels and impact blood glucose levels - things we are aiming to reduce in people with PCOS!
Increased stress levels from worrying about your diet, not eating enough and over-exercising can impact PCOS by increasing stress hormones like cortisol which in turn, increase androgen levels. Increased androgen levels are linked to symptoms of PCOS like acne, oily skin, hair loss on the head and excessive hair growth on other parts of the body (3).
Restricting your diet can impact blood glucose levels. Ideally, to manage insulin resistance, we should aim to eat every few hours to keep blood glucose levels stable. Diets like intermittent fasting and general calorie restriction can lead us to ignore our hunger cues and skip meals - causing fluctuating blood glucose levels which in turn can have a negative impact on androgen levels, amplifying symptoms of PCOS (4).
But what’s the Alternative?
So what can we do instead? Instead of focusing on quick fixes, fad diets and fixating on weight loss, it can be more beneficial to focus on what you can add to your diet, rather than what you can remove. Aim to eat regularly and balance your meals with all three macronutrients - protein, carbohydrates and fats. You could aim to swap white carbohydrates for their brown versions to increase fibre intake and help with blood glucose levels (4).
In summary, fad diets and quick fixes won’t help manage your PCOS long term and instead, aim to create healthy, sustainable changes to improve your symptoms long-term.
References
Statista, 2020. New Year's resolution for 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2021, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/953560/new-years-resolution-us/
BDA, 2016. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – the fundamentals[online]. Available from: https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-the-fundamentals.html.
NHS, 2019. Diagnosis Polycystic ovary syndrome[online]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos/diagnosis/.[Accessed 12 March 2021]
BDA, 2016. Food Fact Sheet: Carbohydrates [online]. Available from: https://www.bfwh.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/BDA-Carbs.pdf
