Nutritional Intake and Lifestyle in Infertile Women with and without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Case-control Study

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine pathology in females of reproductive age worldwide, is a multifactorial disorder. Although obesity, lifestyle, depression, and nutrition are considered possible contributing factors to PCOS pathogenesis, the association between nutrient intake, clinical indices, and adipokines in PCOS women is not comprehensively elucidated. Therefore, the current study aimed to reveal the contribution of nutritional intake and lifestyle to the pathogenesis of the disease. Methods: 90 infertile women, 45 with PCOS as cases and 45 without PCOS as controls, aged 25–40 years were enrolled in the study. Different questionnaires including the antioxidant food frequency (using Nut4 software), international physical activity, fast food intake, depression, and internet addiction questionnaires were completed by participants. Moreover, demographic characteristics, weight, height, BMI, and the serum levels of hormones, fast blood glucose, malondialdehyde (MDA), chemerin, vaspin, and omentin-1 were measured. Results: No significant differences between the two groups were obtained regarding demographic characteristics, physical activity, depression, and fast food intake (p-value>0.05). Moreover, the intake of calories and macronutrients did not significantly differ between the two groups (p-value>0.05). However, androgens, AMH, LH, LH: FSH ratio, FBS, and MDA were significantly higher and estradiol was significantly lower in PCOS subjects compared to controls (p-value<0.001). Moreover, a significant correlation between nutritional parameters and PCOS indicators was observed (p-value<0.05). Conclusion: The findings may suggest that nutrient intake crucially contributes to the pathogenesis of PCOS in infertile women through hyperandrogenism and weight gain.