Cited by 292Ovarian function and disordersGut microbiota and healthDiet, Metabolism, and Disease

Role of gut microbiota in the development of insulin resistance and the mechanism underlying polycystic ovary syndrome: A review

Open access
He, Fang-fang, Li, Yu-mei·2020·Journal of Ovarian Research

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine and metabolic disorder. Typically, it is characterized by hirsutism, hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, menstrual disorders and infertility. To date, its pathogenesis remains unclear. However, insulin resistance (IR) is considered as the primary pathological basis for its reproductive dysfunction. On the other hand, a condition in which insulin is over-secreted is called hyperinsulinemia. IR/Hyperinsulinemia is associated with chronic inflammation, hormonal changes, follicular dysplasia, endometrial receptivity changes, and abortion or infertility. Additionally, it increases incidence of complications during pregnancy and has been associated with anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders. Gut microbiota, the “second genome” acquired by the human body, can promote metabolism, immune response through interaction with the external environment. Gut microbiota dysbiosis can cause IR, which is closely linked to the occurrence of PCOS. This article reviewed recent findings on the roles of gut microbiota in the development of insulin resistance and the mechanism underlying polycystic ovary syndrome.

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.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1186/s13048-020-00670-3

Cites

102 of 102 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

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?

  • Lifestyle-induced changes in the gastrointestinal tract microbiome are a significant factor in the etiology of PCOS.

    “Lifestyle-induced changes in the gastrointestinal tract microbiome are another significant factor in the etiology of PCOS [52,53].”

    From Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Evolutionary Adaptation to Lifestyle and the Environment (2022) · cites this paper as [53]

    The Introduction describes a proposed pathway in which obesity or a high-sugar, high-fat, low-fiber diet alters gut flora and may contribute to PCOS. “The treatment approach in PCOS” likewise says dietary changes alter gut flora and high-sugar foods may induce PCOS through that pathway. The review supports the proposed link, but does not establish lifestyle-induced microbiome changes as a significant causal factor in PCOS etiology. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Diet-related changes in the gastrointestinal microbiome have been shown to cause insulin resistance in women with PCOS.

    “As discussed in the dysbiosis section, diet-related changes in the gastrointestinal microbiome have also been shown to cause IR in women with PCOS [53,55].”

    From Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Evolutionary Adaptation to Lifestyle and the Environment (2022) · cites this paper as [53]

    The Introduction describes a proposed pathway from diet-related gut dysbiosis to insulin resistance, and “The treatment approach in PCOS” says high-sugar foods may trigger that pathway. Neither passage establishes that diet-related microbiome changes have been shown to cause insulin resistance in women with PCOS; the causal microbiome experiment the review describes was in mice. Page numbers are not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Insulin resistance can be caused by a wide variety of mechanisms that disrupt any part of the metabolic signaling system, including autoantibodies, receptor agonists and antagonists, hormones, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, nutrient sensors and metabolic intermediates.

    “Insulin resistance can be caused by a wide variety of mechanisms that have the ability to disrupt any part of this metabolic signaling system [53,161]. These include autoantibodies, receptor agonists and antagonists, hormones, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, nutrient sensors and metabolic intermediates [160,161,162,163].”

    From Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Evolutionary Adaptation to Lifestyle and the Environment (2022) · cites this paper as [53]

    The sections “Gut microbiome contributes to insulin resistance” and “Endotoxemia” describe inflammatory mediators reducing insulin sensitivity and immune activation interfering with insulin receptor function. “Gut-brain peptides” also links gut hormones and metabolites to insulin resistance. The paper does not substantiate the full list of mechanisms, particularly autoantibodies, receptor agonists and antagonists, oxidative stress, and nutrient sensors, or the claim that they can disrupt any part of the signaling system. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

1 retracted

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [48]Vrieze A, Van Nood E, Holleman F, Salojärvi J, Kootte RS, Bartelsman JFWM, et al. Transfer of Intestinal Microbiota From Lean Donors Increases Insulin Sensitivity in Individuals With Metabolic Syndrome. Gastroenterology. 2012;143(4):913–6.e7. 22728514
  2. [98]Chen Fangyuan, LAI Zhiwen, XU Zusen. Analysis of the gut microbial composition in polycystic ovary syndrome with acne. Zigong Maternal and Child Health Hospital. 2019;35(14):2246–51.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
He, F.-F., & Li, Y.-M.
Affiliations
Central South University (CN)
Corresponding author
Li, Yu-mei
Venue
Journal of Ovarian Research
Published
2020-06-17
Volume
13
Issue
1
Pages
73-73
ISSN
1757-2215 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3036640353
Cited by
289
References
102
Citations by year
2026: 41 · 2025: 50 · 2024: 62 · 2023: 57 · 2022: 48 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 1
FWCI
4.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Ovarian Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Ovarian function and disorders
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diet, Metabolism, and Disease
Keywords
gut microbiota, polycystic ovary syndrome, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, dysbiosis, chronic inflammation, reproductive disorders, infertility, hyperandrogenism, pregnancy complications, anxiety and depression
MeSH terms
Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Animals, Female, Humans, Insulin Resistance, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Mice

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