Dietary Patterns and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a Systematic Review
Open accessAbstract
Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting women of reproductive age.The goal of this study was to present the suitable diet recommended by the international literature for women with polycystic ovary syndrome to alleviate their symptoms.Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases containing medical topics was conducted.Results: A total number of 123 articles were retrieved and seven of them were relevant to our chosen topic concerning the diet-related polycystic ovary syndrome.According to research, it seems that diet plays a very important role on the clinical picture and laboratory findings of PCOS.According to the included studies, the change in the diet of women brought positive results in terms of clinical appearance of the syndrome.Τhis review presents the type of diet that is deemed helpful in the clinical and laboratory picture of the syndrome. Conclusion:In the future, more research should be conducted on a larger population with PCOS and for a longer period of time, during which subjects would be given a specific diet.It would also be important to compare diet to mild exercise and dietary supplementation.Keywords: polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS, polycystic ovaries, amenorrhea, PCOS and nutrition, diet and PCOS, diet in women with PCOS, nutrition in women with PCOS, dietary changes in women with PCOS, eating habits in PCOS.
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Dietary patterns that emphasize high intake of refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, and processed foods have been associated with worsening insulin resistance, inflammation, and androgen levels, thereby exacerbating PCOS symptoms.
“In particular, dietary patterns that emphasize high intake of refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, and processed foods have been associated with worsening insulin resistance, inflammation, and androgen levels, thereby exacerbating PCOS symptoms [10].”
From The association between the Mediterranean Diet and the Prime Diet Quality Score and polycystic ovary syndrome: a case control study (2025) · cites this paper as [10]
Studies have proven that a protein-rich diet can, to some extent, be beneficial for PCOS management.
“Studies have proven that a protein-rich diet can, to some extent, be beneficial for PCOS management [114, 115].”
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The Role of Lifestyle Interventions in PCOS Management: A Systematic Review
Gautam, R., Maan, P., Jyoti, A., Kumar, A., Malhotra, N., & Arora, T. (2025) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu17020310 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Calcaterra, V., Magenes, V. C., Massini, G., De Sanctis, L., Fabiano, V., & Zuccotti, G. (2024) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu16070938 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Muhammed Saeed, A. A., Noreen, S., Awlqadr, F. H., Farooq, M. I., Qadeer, M., Rai, N., Farag, H. A., & Saeed, M. N. (2025) · Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition · doi:10.1186/s41043-025-00899-y · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Ajorlouie, Z., Moshkian, P., Baghdadi, G., Amiri, R., Biglari, F., & Rahimlou, M. (2025) · BMC Nutrition · doi:10.1186/s40795-025-01067-5 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Barraza-Ortega, E., Gómez‐Gil, B., García-Gasca, T., Lizárraga, D., Díaz, N., & Garcı́a-Gasca, A. (2025) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms26178574 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
The dietary phytochemical index and its relation to polycystic ovary syndrome: a case–control study
Chi, Y., Yue, R., Lv, Y., Li, H., & Liao, W. (2024) · Journal of Ovarian Research · doi:10.1186/s13048-024-01540-y · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Prevalence of female hirsutism and PCOS in the United States: A cross‐sectional study
Chen, M., Nguyen, W., Haq, Z., Guo, W. Y., & Briley, J. (2025) · JDDG Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft · doi:10.1111/ddg.15630 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Hanassab, S., Southern, J., Olabode, A. V., Laponogov, I., Bronstein, M., Comninos, A., Heinis, T., Abbara, A., Izzi-Engbeaya, C., Veselkov, K., et al. (2025) · npj Women's Health · doi:10.1038/s44294-025-00117-4 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Complementary and alternative medicine therapies used by women with polycystic ovary syndrome
Elkoca, A., Özcan, H., & Yekeler, B. (2024) · Advances in Integrative Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.aimed.2024.12.004 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Darand, M., Ghorbani, M., Ghadiri‐Anari, A., Arabi, V., & Hosseinzadeh, M. (2025) · BMC Women s Health · doi:10.1186/s12905-025-03695-2 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
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Dietary Pattern, Physical, and Behavioral Trends in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
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Prävalenz von weiblichem Hirsutismus und PCOS in den Vereinigten Staaten: Eine Querschnittsstudie
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- Authors
- XENOU, M., & GOUROUNTI, K.
- Affiliations
- University of West Attica (GR)
- ORCID
- GOUROUNTI, Kleanthi
- Venue
- Maedica - A Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Publisher
- TARUS Media
- Published
- 2021-09-15
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 3
- ISSN
- 1841-9038 (ISSN-L)
- 2069-6116
- OpenAlex
- W4401840756
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 6
- FWCI
- 0.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- MAEDICA – a Journal of Clinical Medicine (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Ovarian function and disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Endometriosis Research and Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins
- Keywords
- polycystic ovary syndrome, dietary habits, diet, nutrition, amenorrhea, PCOS symptoms, dietary intervention
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