Effect of a low-starch/low-dairy diet on fat oxidation in overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome
Open accessAbstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects between 4%–18% of reproductive-aged women and is associated with increased risk of obesity and obesity-related disease. PCOS is associated with hyperinsulinemia, which is known to impair fat oxidation. Research shows that carbohydrates from dairy and starch-based foods cause greater postprandial insulin secretion than carbohydrates from nonstarchy vegetables and fruits. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an ad libitum 8-week low-starch/low-dairy diet would improve fasting and postprandial fat oxidation after a high saturated fat liquid meal (HSFLM) in overweight and obese women with PCOS. Prospective 8-week dietary intervention using a low-starch/low-dairy diet in 10 women (body mass index ≥25 kg/m 2 and ≤45 kg/m 2) with PCOS. Indirect calorimetry was used at fasting and for 5 h following consumption of the HSFLM to determine respiratory exchange ratio (RER), macronutrient oxidation, and energy expenditure (EE) at week 0 and week 8. Participants had a reduction in body weight (–8.1 ± 1.8 kg, p < 0.05) and fasting insulin (–19.5 ± 8.9 μg/mL, p < 0.05) after dietary intervention; however, these were not significantly correlated with improved fat oxidation. There was a reduction in fasting RER, and fasting and postprandial carbohydrate oxidation, and an increase in fasting and postprandial fat oxidation after adjusting for body weight. There was also significant difference in incremental area under the curve from pre- to post-diet for fat (0.06 ± 0.00 g/kg per 5 h; p < 0.001) and carbohydrate oxidation (–0.29 ± 0.06 g/kg per 5 h; p < 0.001), but not for RER or EE. In conclusion, an 8-week low-starch/low-dairy diet increased fat oxidation in overweight and obese women with PCOS.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
A very low-starch diet amplifies fat-burning and lessens fasting insulin.
“For example, a diet that was very low in starch was found to amplify the fat-burning mechanism and lessen fasting insulin.”
From Nutritional and herbal interventions for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): a comprehensive review of dietary approaches, macronutrient impact, and herbal medicine in management (2025) · cites this paper as [78]
The Discussion reports increased fasting and postprandial fat oxidation, and the Results report a significant reduction in fasting insulin (pages not provided). However, the intervention also restricted dairy and was studied in overweight and obese women with PCOS; the paper does not establish that reducing starch alone produced these effects. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredStudies that modified dietary patterns without a caloric deficit saw improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors.
“studies that modified dietary patterns without a caloric deficit [72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,87,108] saw improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors”
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 [81]
The Results report improvements in weight and insulin measures after the low-starch/low-dairy diet. Although participants were not instructed to restrict calories, the Results explicitly say they followed a hypocaloric diet, so this study does not support the claim that the improvements occurred without a caloric deficit. (LLM, conf=0.92)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn an eight-week intervention, women with PCOS who reduced their intake of dairy and carbohydrates experienced improved lipid oxidation and metabolic outcomes.
“In an eight-week intervention, women with PCOS who reduced their intake of dairy and carbohydrates experienced improved lipid oxidation and metabolic outcomes [78].”
After eight weeks of a low-starch, low-dairy diet in ten individuals with PCOS with overweight and obesity, body weight, BMI, WC, hip circumference, fat mass, fat mass percentage, and fasting insulin concentrations significantly decreased.
“After eight weeks, body weight, BMI, WC, hip circumference, fat mass, fat mass percentage, and fasting insulin concentrations significantly decreased [81].”
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 [81]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet
References 47 · Cited by 34
Research works printed but not linked: 36
- Revised 2003 consensus on diagnostic criteria and long-term health risks related to polycystic ovary syndrome Fertil Steril 81 19 25 14711538
- Bao J de Jong V Atkinson F Petocz P Brand-Miller JC 2009 Food insulin index: physiologic basis for predicting insulin demand evoked by composite meals Am J Clin Nutr 90 986 992 19710196
- Barber TM McCarthy MI Wass JA Franks S 2006 Obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 65 137 145 16886951
- Black AE 1986 Use of food quotients to predict respiratory quotients for the doubly-labelled water method of measuring energy expenditure Human nutrition. Clinical nutrition 40 381 391 3771290
- Casas-Agustench P López-Uriarte P Bulló M Ros E Gómez-Flores A Salas-Salvadó J 2009 Acute effects of three high-fat meals with different fat saturations on energy expenditure, substrate oxidation and satiety Clinical Nutrition 28 39 45 19010571
- Clevenger HC Kozimor AL Paton CM Cooper JA 2014 Acute effect of dietary fatty acid composition on postprandial metabolism in women Exp Physiol 24532599
- Di Sarra D Tosi F Bonin C Fiers T Kaufman JM Signori C Zambotti F Dall’Alda M Caruso B Zanolin ME Bonora E Moghetti P 2013 Metabolic inflexibility is a feature of women with polycystic ovary syndrome and is associated with both insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism J Clin Endocrinol Metab 98 2581 2588 23596136
- Frayn KN 1983 Calculation of substrate oxidation rates in vivo from gaseous exchange Journal of Applied Physiology 55 628 634 6618956
- Galgani JE Valentino G 2013 Should insulin resistance degree be taken into account for assessment of glycemic index? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 97 902 903 23515393
- Gannon MC Nuttall FQ Westphal SA Fang S Ercan-Fang N 1998 Acute Metabolic Response to High-Carbohydrate, High-Starch Meals Compared With Moderate-Carbohydrate, Low-Starch Meals in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes Care 21 1619 1626 9773720
- Hainer V Stunkard AJ Kunešová M Parízková J Štich V Allison DB 2000 Intrapair resemblance in very low calorie diet-induced weight loss in female obese identical twins International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders 24 1051 10951545
- Heller RF 1994 Hyperinsulinemic obesity and carbohydrate addiction: the missing link is the carbohydrate frequency factor Med Hypotheses 42 307 312 7935072
- Holmang A Svedberg J Jennische E Bjorntorp P 1990 Effects of testosterone on muscle insulin sensitivity and morphology in female rats American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism 259 E555 E560 2221057
- Hoppe C Molgaard C Dalum C Vaag A Michaelsen KF 2009 Differential effects of casein versus whey on fasting plasma levels of insulin, IGF-1 and IGF-1/IGFBP-3: results from a randomized 7-day supplementation study in prepubertal boys Eur J Clin Nutr 63 1076 1083 19471293
- Hoyt G Hickey MS Cordain L 2005 Dissociation of the glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to whole and skimmed milk Br J Nutr 93 175 177 15788109
- IOM 2005 Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids Washington DC The National Academies Press 12449285
- Isken F Klaus S Petzke KJ Loddenkemper C Pfeiffer AFH Weickert MO 2010 Impairment of fat oxidation under high- vs. low-glycemic index diet occurs before the development of an obese phenotype American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism 298 E287 E295 19934403
- Kelley DE Mandarino LJ 2000 Fuel selection in human skeletal muscle in insulin resistance: a reexamination Diabetes 49 677 683 10905472
- Kopp W 2003 High-insulinogenic nutrition--an etiologic factor for obesity and the metabolic syndrome? Metabolism 52 840 844 12870158
- Lee JS Pinnamaneni SK Eo SJ Cho IH Pyo JH Kim CK Sinclair AJ Febbraio MA Watt MJ 2006 Saturated, but not n-6 polyunsaturated, fatty acids induce insulin resistance: role of intramuscular accumulation of lipid metabolites Journal of Applied Physiology 100 1467 1474 16357064
- Marra M Scalfi L Covino A Puente AE-D Contaldo F 1998 Fasting respiratory quotient as a predictor of weight changes in non-obese women International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders 22 601 9665683
- Mehran AE Templeman NM Brigidi GS Lim GE Chu KY Hu X Botezelli JD Asadi A Hoffman BG Kieffer TJ Bamji SX Clee SM Johnson JD 2012 Hyperinsulinemia drives diet-induced obesity independently of brain insulin production Cell Metab 16 723 737 23217255
- Nimptsch K Brand-Miller JC Franz M Sampson L Willett WC Giovannucci E 2011 Dietary insulin index and insulin load in relation to biomarkers of glycemic control, plasma lipids, and inflammation markers Am J Clin Nutr 94 182 190 21543531 PMC3127522
- Nuttall FQ Gannon MC 2007 Dietary management of type 2 diabetes: a personal odyssey J Am Coll Nutr. United States 83 94 17536119
- Ravussin E Swinburn BA 1993 Metabolic predictors of obesity: cross-sectional versus longitudinal data International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders: journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 17 Suppl 3 S28 31 discussion S41–22 8124397
- Riccardi G Giacco R Rivellese AA 2004 Dietary fat, insulin sensitivity and the metabolic syndrome Clin Nutr 23 447 456 15297079
- Schoffelen PF Westerterp KR Saris WH Ten Hoor F 1997 A dual-respiration chamber system with automated calibration J Appl Physiol (1985) 83 2064 2072 9390982
- Seidell JC Muller DC Sorkin JD Andres R 1992 Fasting respiratory exchange ratio and resting metabolic rate as predictors of weight gain: the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders: journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 16 667 674 1328091
- Sigal RJ El-Hashimy M Martin BC Soeldner JS Krolewski AS Warram JH 1997 Acute Postchallenge Hyperinsulinemia Predicts Weight Gain: A Prospective Study Diabetes 46 1025 1029 9166675
- Teede H Deeks A Moran L 2010 Polycystic ovary syndrome: a complex condition with psychological, reproductive and metabolic manifestations that impacts on health across the lifespan BMC Med 8 41 20591140 PMC2909929
- Tittelbach TJ Mattes RD Gretebeck RJ 2000 Post-Exercise Substrate Utilization after a High Glucose vs. High Fructose Meal During Negative Energy Balance in the Obese Obesity Research 8 496 505 11068955
- Vermeulen A Verdonck L Kaufman JM 1999 A Critical Evaluation of Simple Methods for the Estimation of Free Testosterone in Serum The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 84 3666 3672 10523012
- Weir JB 1949 New methods for calculating metabolic rate with special reference to protein metabolism J Physiol 109 1 9 15394301 PMC1392602
- Whigham LD Butz DE Dashti H Tonelli M Johnson LK Cook ME Porter WP Eghbalnia HR Markley JL Lindheim SR Schoeller DA Abbott DH Assadi-Porter FM 2013 Metabolic Evidence of Diminished Lipid Oxidation in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Current Metabolomics 269 278 PMC3994884 24765590
- Yildiz BO Bozdag G Yapici Z Esinler I Yarali H 2012 Prevalence, phenotype and cardiometabolic risk of polycystic ovary syndrome under different diagnostic criteria Hum Reprod 27 3067 3073 22777527
- Zurlo F Lillioja S Esposito-Del Puente A Nyomba BL Raz I Saad MF Swinburn BA Knowler WC Bogardus C Ravussin E 1990 Low ratio of fat to carbohydrate oxidation as predictor of weight gain: study of 24-h RQ Am J Physiol 259 E650 657 2240203
- Authors
- Pohlmeier, A. M., Phy, J. L., Watkins, P., Boylan, M., Spallholz, J., Harris, K. S., & Cooper, J. A.
- Affiliations
- Texas Tech University (US)
- Venue
- Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism
- Publisher
- Canadian Science Publishing
- Published
- 2014-11
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1237-1244
- ISSN
- 1715-5312 (ISSN-L)
- 1715-5320
- PMC
- PMC4211969
- OpenAlex
- W2048573793
- Cited by
- 34
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 0.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (T32HD055163)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Ovarian function and disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Diet and metabolism studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diet, Metabolism, and Disease
- Keywords
- polycystic ovary syndrome, low starch diet, fat oxidation, obesity, overweight women, hyperinsulinemia, respiratory exchange ratio, macronutrient oxidation, energy expenditure, weight loss, carbohydrate oxidation
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Body Composition, Calorimetry, Indirect, Dairy Products, Energy Metabolism, Female, Humans, Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Lipids, Middle Aged, Obesity, Oxidation-Reduction, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Prospective Studies, Weight Loss, Body Mass Index, Glycemic Index, Overweight, Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
