If you have PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, your physician may have advised you to lose weight and eat a healthy diet. In fact, many women with PCOS are overweight or obese. However, typical healthy diet recommendations to bulk up on whole grains, fruit and vegetables may not work well for you. Instead, you may want to consider following a low-carb diet.
PCOS Cause/Symptoms
Women with PCOS suffer from a hormonal imbalance that causes high circulating levels of androgens, which are male hormones, in their bodies, according to the website WomensHealth.gov. Every woman has some androgens, but if levels get too high, you can develop acne, weight gain, hair growth on your chin, cheeks and chest, and problems with your menstrual period. It's not clear why some women develop PCOS, but it's possible that heredity plays some role.
Diet and Insulin
Insulin may also be linked to PCOS, according to WomensHealth.gov. Your body produces the hormone insulin to regulate sugar levels in your bloodstream and high levels of insulin potentially can cause many of the symptoms in PCOS. Women with PCOS frequently exhibit insulin resistance, which means their bodies cannot process sugar properly despite normal levels of insulin. Changing to a low-carb diet may help to bring down your insulin levels, which in turn could help your PCOS symptoms.
Low-Carb Diet Basics
If you decide to try a low-carb diet to improve your PCOS symptoms, Martha McKittrick, RD, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, recommends starting with a diet that's about 40 percent carbohydrates. If you exhibit fewer food cravings and see better energy levels, the diet is helping, McKittrick writes on the website ObGyn.net. You also may need to decrease the percentage of carbohydrates in your diet even further to see improvements.
Food Choices
If you have PCOS and you decide to follow a low-carb diet, you also should pay attention to the types of carb foods you eat, according to the website YoungWomensHealth.org. For example, avoid sweetened juice and fruit in heavy syrup, choosing instead fresh or frozen fruits or canned fruits without added sugar. Eliminate starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes, and substitute broccoli and spinach. And if you eat any grain products as part of your low-carb diet for PCOS, make sure you choose whole grain cereals and breads.
Considerations
Many foods containing carbs can be a healthy part of a low-carb diet for PCOS, so you should never attempt to stick to a no-carb diet, according to YoungWomensHealth.org. Foods containing carbs provide your body with energy and important nutrients. In your meal planning, you should attempt to combine a carb food such as an apple with some sort of fat or protein. This will help your body absorb the carbs more slowly and keep your insulin levels lower.
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