Association between Dietary Carbohydrate Intake and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome among Reproductive Age Women

Objectives: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrinopathy and is multifactorial. This study investigated the relationship between dietary carbohydrates and PCOS. Methods: A food-frequency questionnaire assessed the dietary intake of 129 women who were not pregnant, not lactating and not on any hormonal drugs. The mean dietary intakes and differences in frequencies of food-group intakes (PCOS vs. non PCOS) were compared using an independent-sample t-test and chi-square test respectively. Correlations were determined using Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. Results: Insignificant differences were observed for energy and carbohydrate intake between groups. The fiber intake was below the DRI. In terms of food choice, both groups made similar decisions, and there was insignificant difference with respect to the 14 food types except for vegetables (p > 0.05). Compared to reference range, the values of the HOMA-IR were higher in PCOS group. There was an inverse correlation between protein intake and HOMA-IR, and insignificant association between dietary intake and testosterone (except for added sugar), glucose, insulin, or insulin resistance in PCOS group. Conclusions: Although most of the correlations were insignificant in this study, it appears that a diet that is low in fiber and high in carbohydrates is more common among those with PCOS.