PCOS patients differ in meal timings rather than total caloric or macronutrient intake in comparison to weight matched controls
Abstract
Background There is paucity of data related to dietary patterns in women with PCOS with heterogenous phenotypes compared to weight matched healthy women. In the present study, we studied the influence of diet and dietary patterns in relation to BMI and phenotype of PCOS women. Design Case control study in a tertiary care hospital. Patients 168 PCOS women and 102 age matched healthy women were recruited. All were subjected to clinical examination, biochemical, hormonal and dietary assessment based on 2-day dietary recall and direct interview by dieticians. Results There was no difference in the total energy and macronutrient distribution among the lean and obese PCOS women compared to weight matched controls. There was a higher junk intake and lower fibre intake among PCOS patients compared to controls. There was no difference in the total energy or macronutrient distribution or meal timings among different phenotypes of PCOS. Around 40% PCOS women had a late/missed breakfast pattern compared to 15% of healthy controls (p-0.00). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, we observed that late breakfast and late lunch patterns were associated with PCOS independent of BMI (OR-3.3[CI- 1.7-6.8] and 3.0 [CI- 1.2-6.9]). Junk intake was correlated with BMI, glucose and cholesterol levels and dairy intake was correlated with hirsuitism score. Conclusion We demonstrate for the first time that PCOS women differ significantly from weight matched controls in the timings of their breakfast and lunch intake rather than the total caloric intake and macronutrient distribution. Whether correction of meal timings and food choices can improve the phenotypic manifestations of PCOS remains to be seen.
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Individuals with PCOS have lower intakes of complex carbohydrates, fiber, unsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, vitamin D, and magnesium compared to individuals without PCOS.
“Lower intakes of key nutrients associated with health, such as complex carbohydrates [21], fiber [11,21,23,25,28], unsaturated fatty acids [21], omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids [15,21], vitamin A, folate, vitamin C [11], vitamin D, and magnesium [39], have been reported for individuals with PCOS compared to individuals without.”
From Moving beyond Weight: A Narrative Review of the Dietary and Lifestyle Management for Reducing Cardiometabolic Risk in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) (2023) · cites this paper as [25]
Observational studies including individuals with PCOS with a healthy BMI still identified a higher prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors between individuals with and without PCOS.
“observational studies that have included individuals with PCOS with a healthy BMI (18.5–24.9 kg/m2) still identified a higher prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors between individuals with and without PCOS [10,11,21,22,23,25,28,30,31,33].”
From Moving beyond Weight: A Narrative Review of the Dietary and Lifestyle Management for Reducing Cardiometabolic Risk in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) (2023) · cites this paper as [25]
Individuals with PCOS have a larger intake of foods high in salt, sugar, fat, and energy, with little to no protein, vitamins or minerals.
“individuals with PCOS have been found to have a larger intake of foods high in salt, sugar, fat, and energy, with little to no protein, vitamins or minerals [25].”
From Moving beyond Weight: A Narrative Review of the Dietary and Lifestyle Management for Reducing Cardiometabolic Risk in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) (2023) · cites this paper as [25]
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- Authors
- Kulshreshtha, B., Sharma, N., Pant, S., Sharma, L., Pahuja, B., & Singh, P.
- Affiliations
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (IN)
- Corresponding author
- Kulshreshtha, Bindu
- Venue
- European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-03
- Volume
- 270
- Pages
- 11-16
- ISSN
- 0028-2243 (ISSN-L)
- 0301-2115
- OpenAlex
- W4205243696
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3
- FWCI
- 2.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Indian Council of Medical Research (2013-0976)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Ovarian function and disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Keywords
- polycystic ovary syndrome, meal timing, dietary habits, junk food intake, dietary fiber intake, PCOS phenotypes, body mass index, hirsutism, dairy consumption, macronutrient intake
- MeSH terms
- Energy Intake, Diet, Eating, Female, Humans, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Body Mass Index, Case-Control Studies
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